We are coming up fast on that back-to-school time, and that can be a big problem for families.

We are sharing some information from the St Cloud Times on ways to donate school supplies to families and kids who need them. I know there are doubtless many other outlets for donating supplies before school gets started; send them in and I’ll share them here!

“ST. CLOUD — The average shopper plans to spent $122 on school supplies, including notebooks, pencils, backpacks and lunch boxes.

For low-income families, that $100 can be the difference between making the rent, buying gas to get to work or having enough groceries for the week. Faced with those choices, families may not prioritize school supplies.

This is the scenario staff of Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota are trying to avoid, said Aimee Minnerath, marketing manager.

This week, they’ll begin collecting school supplies to distribute to their lower-income members.

“The need always exceeds the number of supplies we receive,” Minnerath said. “The more help we can give to these kids to make sure they start off the school year with confidence, the better.”

Not only do the donations ensure kids are equipped, it also gives them a confident mindset.

“What we want to try to do is make sure our kids have that level playing field on day one,” Minnerath said. “They can be proud they are contributing to their classroom, just like all the kids in the class are.”

Minnerath estimates they distributed about 250 backpacks last year.

But the all together, the organization serves 6,500 registered members in grades kindergarten through 12th at 18 sites, which includes three clubs and 15 KIDSTOP sites. “