BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — This year's inflation has driven up the cost of many things, including school supplies, and some parents may be struggling to get their kids the things they need to prepare to head back to school. That's why Calvary Bakersfield Church is hosting their Back-to-School Summerfest event to help those in our community who feel the pain of pinching pennies. The event will happen at Calvary Bakersfield on Saturday, August 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Gabriel Alvarez, lead pastor at Calvary Bakersfield, says he wanted to host the Back-to-School Summerfest this year because of the need he sees in the community, especially with many families struggling to pay for school supplies on top of basic essentials like food.
"Being an eastsider, being on the east side of Bakersfield, you see the different pockets of different areas of need, of families struggling, so we wanted to give back to the families, to the kids, to make it a little bit easier before going back to school," said Alvarez.
According to an analysis from e-commerce marketing firm Pattern, the cost of items like pens, composition books, crayons, and folders have all increased by between 2 and 13 percent this year.
On the plus side, items like backpacks, calculators, boys' clothes, and girls' shoes have all decreased in price this year.
Alvarez points out that for families with multiple kids in school, the cost increases exponentially.
"It adds up quickly. All the items from a backpack, a backpack as low as $10, $15 dollars, times 3 or 4 kids in a family, just a backpack itself, the school supplies that is needed to fill those backpacks, they start adding up really fast," said Alvarez.
Nataly Santa Maria, senior network manager with L.A.-based nonprofit Vision y Compromiso says inflation isn't the only challenge facing families right now.
"There are a lot of farm workers that are out of work because of the flooding that happened," said Santa Maria. "Other factors, climate change, the heat, so there are a lot of folks that are not working their regular hours."
Santa Maria says Vision y Compromiso donated to the back-to-school event and will volunteer to provide additional resources, like information on mental health support groups that help residents cope with life challenges.
"I think when you're part of events like this that give back to the community, it also gives you a sense of belonging, and it gives you hope," said Santa Maria.
Alvarez says they plan to serve more than 800 people at the event, and they already have more than 530 backpacks and school supplies for the families that show up Saturday, adding that he expects more donations to come in through the week.
"It's not an event where we put something on and we're gone, no," said Alvarez. "It's an event letting them know that we're putting something on and we're here."
If you would like to donate school supplies or volunteer at Calvary Bakersfield's Back-to-School Summerfest event, you can contact church staff by calling 489-5063. Calvary Bakersfield is located at 4040 Niles Street in Bakersfield. You can also connect with the Calvary Bakersfield Facebook page to learn more about how you can participate.
