MILWAUKEE — Families shopping to get ready for back to school are beginning to learn a challenging lesson about inflation as school supply prices surge.
According to theNational Retail Federation this year a family will pay roughly $864 on school supplies.
Another survey by Credit Karma found that more than one-third, or 37%, of parents with school-age children said they are unable to afford back-to-school shopping due to inflation and nearly half will go into debt in doing so.
On Saturday, several local organizations stepped in to host free book bag drives and BBQs all with the goal of meeting families where they were at.
At the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center, organizers hosted a free breakfast and book bag giveaway providing thousands of meals and supplies for kids.
"I had one parent tell me now she could buy extra groceries and I had to go to my office because then my eyes got teary. The fact that you had to make a decision whether you are going to pay a bill or buy groceries or buy school supplies for the kids, that's major to me," said Director, Dee Mccollum.
"I got pencils and a notebook," said Camille Seawright, who will be attending Kindergarten this Fall.
Across town in West Allis, military families signed up to receive free book bags and toys at the annual Operation Back to School event in Liberty Heights Park.
"It's kind of our way to help the Veterans relieve some financial stress with everything that we need to do to get our kids ready for school," said Debbie Buchanan a coordinator with the Milwaukee Homeless Veteran's Initiative.
Saturday, Aug. 20, several other organizations will host free backpack drives for families in Milwaukee.
Little Dreamer's back-to-school drive
Heal the Hood African American Roundtable back-to-school block party
Book bag giveaway and resource fair
