1,500+ backpacks are still needed for kids in Olmsted County before school starts. Here's how you can easily help kids have a running start this school year.
1,500+ backpacks are still needed for kids in Olmsted County before school starts. Here's how you can easily help kids have a running start this school year.
there is a lot of uncertainty right now. what would formally be our busy time of the year has been sort of busy. reporter: and then there is supply chain slowdowns. i have an order right now where i can t fulfill it because my supplier doesn t have the product that hasn t made it here from other countries. so, that s money i m losing. reporter: and at operation backpack in new york city, they re short on backpacks. this year we need 15,000 and we re short upwards of 3,000. reporter: these backpacks filled with supplies are going to new york city s most vulnerable. children living in shelters. a pre-k backpack is like $45. a high school backpack could cost $150 or more. people struggling could not afford that. reporter: federal aid has helped offset the economic pain. half ofback to school shoppers
vulnerable, children living in shelters. a pre-k backpack is $45. a high school backpack can cost $150 or more. people who are struggling cannot afford that. reporter: federal aid has helped offset some of the pandemic s economic pain, about half of back to school shoppers are using stimulus checks or the child tax credit to pay for school supplies. but for many families, it s still not enough. the fact that the students in our shelters will have one less thing to worry about, where are they going to get their school supplies, that s all we want is to alleviate that stress, alleviate that burden so they can just be happy to go to school. and some school supplies are going to be a little more expensive this year because of labor shortages, shortness in supply chains and also this pent-up demand. so retailers are suggesting parents get out there shop early so there will be stuff on the shelves to buy and you won t get hit with increased prices. another tip is that if you have a c