Families scramble for last-minute school supplies

By MEGAN MATTEUCCI

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hundreds of Gwinnett County parents lined up for free school supplies more than three hours before a Lawrenceville carnival was scheduled to start Saturday.

In Clayton County, 2,000 people crowded a courthouse parking lot after being promised free pencils, notebooks and crayons.

“We had a 10 a.m. event and people were lined up by 7 in the morning. That shows the increased need,” said Lafeea Watson, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta.

With thousands of Metro Atlanta parents out of work, non-profit agencies say they are scrambling to help families in need prepare to send children back to school on Monday.

Students in Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Forsyth and Fayette counties start school on Monday. Students in Cherokee and Henry counties started last week.

State budget cuts are also forcing school districts to slash supplies over teachers and other necessary expenses.

Teachers used to rely on a $100 gift card from the state to stock their classrooms with extra materials.

No longer.

“The [legislature] pulled the plug on the $100 gift card program, which is making it hard for teachers to buy materials and supplies for classrooms,” Clayton schools spokesman Charles White said Saturday.

Clayton school staff said they were struggling, but now are relying on donations.

On Saturday, Chick-fil-A restaurants in Clayton County donated 150 boxes of school supplies to the district.

“This is way more than we ever had before,” White said. “The target was 75 boxes and they doubled their goal. We’re just so appreciative.”

The seven restaurants offered free chicken sandwiches to anyone who donated a school supply, said Dawn Teasley, marketing director for the Jonesboro Dwarf House.

“With the economy being as bad as it is and all the cuts schools are having, we wanted to help,” she said. “The schools can’t supply these things. When kids go to school without supplies, they will be there in the schools.”

The school district will divide the supplies into age-appropriate packages and deliver them to schools Monday. Guidance counselors will identify students who need the supplies, White said.

About 77 percent of Clayton’s students fall under federal poverty guidelines and qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to the state Department of Education.

In addition to the boxes, Clayton students also picked up free supplies in Jonesboro Saturday at Chick-fil-A’s Back to School bash. About 2,000 attended the event which served as a pep rally to get children excited about school, Teasley said.

“With Clayton having so much negative attention in the school system with accreditation, we really wanted to do something positive,” she said.

In Lawrenceville, the Salvation Army had 570 donated backpacks loaded with school supplies ready for needy students Saturday morning.

The backpacks were quickly snatched up by the more than 1,000 people who attended, forcing volunteers to stuff 220 other bags with supplies, Watson said.

“We gave out 300 last year. This was more than double,” Watson said.

The Salvation Army also took names of other families in need with the promise to deliver supplies once more donations are collected Watson said.

About 46 percent of Gwinnett’s students receive free or reduced lunch

The Salvation Army will also give away backpacks to children in the Mechanicsville, Adair Park and Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Atlanta on Aug. 15 at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on Dewey Street.

The Staples in Milton will be collecting school supplies for Fulton County students until Sept. 19.