As families face higher costs during back-to-school shopping, Colorado nonprofits are helping

Making ends meet continues to be a struggle for many families, and now back-to-school shopping is straining even more families' budgets. One local nonprofit is ensuring children have what they need for the start of the school year at no cost.

Back-to-school shopping is one of the biggest annual expenses that families face. According to a NerdWallet survey, families will spend just over $600 per child on school supplies, clothing and books.

Supplies are also getting more expensive, according to a report from The Century Foundation. The cost of school supplies is up nearly 8% from last year.

Items that saw the biggest jump are:

• Lunch boxes, which are up nearly 27%
• One-subject notebooks, up 23%
• Index cards and notebook paper, up 22%

"It's an expense you know is coming, but it's a lot for a lot of families," said Sunny Garcia, the program manager at the Action Center in Lakewood. "If they're already struggling, you know, financially, this can really ... cause a lot of stress."

The Action Center is a family resource center in Lakewood where they help families make ends meet. The center connects families to resources like food, clothing, and financial assistance. This week, the center gave away free school supplies to 2,000 families in Jefferson County.

"We're helping families who maybe don't have the means because it's so expensive. Inflation has really affected families, and this event really helps them be able to not worry so much about the everyday expenses in life," said Garcia.

At the distribution event, the center gave more than 5,000 backpacks to children. Families who registered for the event ahead of time went there with their children and got a backpack with all school supplies that were grade appropriate. The center also provided additional resources to families.

To save money during your school shopping:

• Shop at different stores and price match
• Consider buying store brand items, which are less expensive
• Spread out your shopping, in case money gets tight
• Buying in bulk can be helpful for larger families
• Use AI to find the best deals by uploading your school supply list
• For technology like laptops, computers or calculators, consider buying pre-owned or used items; trade in old technology for a credit
• Check for student discounts
• Some stores give discounts to military, first responders or educators 
• Be sure to reach out to your school district or local nonprofits to see how they're helping families