Calgary-area back-to-school charity says costs, demand are up

It’s almost that time again — the school year is just a few weeks away, which means back-to-school shopping is in full swing.

But many people in the city are relying on helpful services to get what they need, as inflationary pressures have made shopping for school essentials more challenging.

Across the country, costs ticked up again in July, including surging electricity costs in Alberta, raising the national inflation rate well over three per cent.

The timing hasn’t been good for families already finding themselves tight on cash.

Stephen’s Backpacks Society, a non-profit that packs backpacks filled with school necessities for children in need is armed with hundreds of volunteers to try and tackle the problem.

The charity’s director, Nancy McPhee, says this school year will be difficult for many families.

“The situation is dire out there, and I really want people to be aware there’s a lot of families struggling and a lot of kids that are going to be going back to school without supplies,” she said.

She adds the increase in the cost of living has made the need for the organization’s services even greater.

“The need has been so great, I’ve received so many phone calls,” she said. “The costs are exorbitant, the school supplies have doubled and tripled in price so I don’t know how low-income families are managing.”

The price tags have also increased for the charity in terms of what it needs to spend.

“It used to be maybe $25, $30 per backpack in terms of the supplies and then the backpack on top of that,” she said. “This year, to do 100 backpacks, it was well over $6,000.”

McPhee says they usually do 6,000 backpacks per year for kids in need, and they anticipate having over 500 volunteers throughout this school year.

With rising costs, the need this year could be the biggest in the non-profit’s 17-year history.

The organization has also had to pivot its own thinking when it comes to funding its work.

“We have really bit the bullet in terms of thinking outside the box, fundraising in different ways because I know so many charities are struggling,” said McPhee.

But the charity is up for the challenge, and McPhee says the support of locals is what gets them through.

“There’s always a way, you just have to find it,” she said. “I believe in Calgarians, I believe in all the surrounding cities that have come forward to help us. Every year, it gets bigger and bigger like it has a heart of its own and we couldn’t do that without the love of Alberta.”