As August begins to dwindle, the P.A. YWCA is hoping to help families get ready for the upcoming school season. (File Photo/ ID 117957868 © Tetiana Shumbasova | Dreamstime.com)

By Ronald Quaroni

Pens and Paper

YWCA assists young newcomers with back-to-school essentials

Aug 21, 2019 | 1:01 PM

Back to school shopping can be stressful, but imagine having never done it before.

That’s the reality for a number of recently settled immigrant families in the P.A. area.

Thanks to the Prince Albert YWCA however, they’re not alone in the struggle. The YWCA is collecting back-to-school supplies for 33 newly-settled kids.

They are looking for the basics; backpacks, lunch kits, crayons, pencils, markers, notebook and duo tangs.

“We usually send the children with as much as we can, but as long as we can cover the basics, we’re usually pretty good,” Carolyn Hobden, settlement services manager with YWCA. “They are very, very appreciative and of course the children are so excited to start school in Canada. It’s going to be a little different from where they came from, so you can see the excitement in their faces as they go through their backpacks and see all the new supplies.”

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To drop off donations Hobden encouraged people to visit the YWCA Wesley Settlement Services office. It’s open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.to 5 p.m.

She said taking families shopping is also something they help out with, as language can also create a barrier for some families when it comes to purchasing school supplies.

Hobden feels kid’s school-supply list has grown over the years to include more modern items like headphones, which in turn has increased the cost on parents.

According to the online retail and coupon outlet Retail Me Not survey, parents are spending just over $500 on back-to-school shopping a $40 increase from last year.

The survey also stated that 48 per cent of parents feel stressed, up eight per cent from last year due to back-to-school shopping.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni