Meg Hill looks through a rack of donated jeans for a pair that will fit her 9-year-old son. He starts school in Mukilteo next week, but like thousands of Snohomish County kids, he still doesn’t have many of the basics on his supply list.
Hill is unemployed and has been calling aid organizations seeking help, but said she’s had a hard time finding donated backpacks, binders and crayons.
Several aid organizations and schools in Snohomish County are reporting a record number of requests from families for back-to-school assistance.
At Clothes For Kids in Lynnwood, where Hill was assembling wardrobes for her two school-age children, demand for clothes and school supplies is up by 15 percent to 20 percent over last year, executive director Mark Smith said.
“We’re getting more and more people who never needed help before,” Smith said. “People come in and say, ‘Last year I had a job, and this year I don’t. Last year, I donated and this year I need help.’ ”
More parents than usual have been calling the Everett School District asking how they can get free school supplies, spokeswoman Mary Waggoner said. That’s the second most common question from parents this summer, after “When does school start?” District and teachers union officials still haven’t settled on the date of the first day of school.
Even schools with relatively well-off families, including Penny Creek Elementary in Everett, are fielding more help requests than usual.
During the last school year, 10 Penny Creek families asked for help with school supplies, principal Shelley Petillo said. Just last week, 20 families visited the school looking for help.
Like many Snohomish County Schools, Penny Creek is accepting donated school supplies to give to kids whose parents can’t afford them.
“It’s a big deal — going out, picking out your backpack, getting school supplies,” Petillo said. “If mom and dad are having a tough time making ends meet, that can be really tough for kids.”
Back when she worked as a bus driver, Hill said, she spent around $500 each summer buying new clothes and supplies for her children. Now she looks for handouts.
Even so, there are some unavoidable costs. Earlier this week, Hill said, she spent $45 to register her 11-year-old daughter for middle school and $15 to buy her a new gym uniform.
Hill said she has been looking for a job since she lost her position as a bus driver because of an injury three years ago. She’s taking classes at Edmonds Community College but said the recession has made it difficult to find work.
“I’m competing now with people with degrees and higher abilities than I would have,” the single mother said, as she watched her son dig through a bin of donated socks. “That’s made it more difficult to find employment in an area I’d work. It’s hit big, not being able to provide on my own for my kids.”
The downturn in the construction industry has led Lynnwood resident Sarah Hernandez to search for donated school supplies for her children this summer. Her husband is a construction worker, but since the housing bubble burst, he hasn’t worked as much.
Last Wednesday, Hernandez piled a new Hannah Montana outfit, pants and jackets into a basket at Clothes for Kids. She still hadn’t found school supplies for her 7-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.
“This year has been very hard for my husband,” she said. “It’s been hard for him finding jobs. I ain’t got much money to go out and buy clothes for my kids, so this is real helpful.”
Several local organizations distribute backpacks and school supplies to kids in need each year. Some are running short on supplies.
The Puget Sound Labor Agency used grant money and donations from workers at local companies, including Boeing, to collect 3,500 backpacks filled with supplies this summer. The agency gave them to nonprofit groups to distribute to low-income families.
The agency has received requests for another 1,000 packs, but unless more donations come in, it won’t be able to fill the need, director Suzanne Moreau said.
“The need has definitely increased,” she said. “The calls that we get are two-fold over what we had this (past) year. People really are lining up.”
Need help?
Parents who can’t afford to buy their children school supplies should call 211, the county’s social service hotline. They may also want to check with their children’s schools.
What you can do
Many local businesses and aid organizations are collecting school supplies for families in need. Items can also be dropped off at most Snohomish County schools.
The Volunteers of America needs more backpacks and school supplies. Donations are accepted at the distribution center at 1230 N. Broadway in Everett from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Thursday.
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