BOISE, Idaho — Back to school may mean back to spending for some people, especially for those in the Treasure Valley who may not be able to afford the whole school supply list.
Crystal Villanueva, who is a Kindergarten teacher at Lakevue Elementary, said she worked with the Vallivue Education Association to host a back-to-school fair and provide free school supplies for students. Over 1,400 students came to get supplies.
“Something that we find year to year is that our families sometimes struggle with getting school supplies and other really important items for their kids before school starts,” Villanueva said.
The back-to-school fair provided not only school supplies like notebooks and pens but also offered medical supplies and even free haircuts.
“By providing this to our kids and our families, we really just make sure that every kid gets to start the school year off right,” she said.
She added that school supplies are becoming increasingly expensive, and schools sometimes add more supplies each year that kids need.
“As we know inflation has really been a big factor, and that really just makes it hard for our families to get what they need for school,” Villanueva said.
Anyone who wants to donate school supplies can reach out to her or the Vallivue Education Association here.