Back-to-School Drive Starts Now for Altrusa: More Families Will Need Help Purchasing School Supplies

Families that could use help paying for school supplies, as well as past and potential donors, will soon receive letters from Altrusa International of Door County.

The organization temporarily cut back on its fundraising efforts in 2020 for several reasons. Some schools did not open classrooms in the fall, and some schools did not create the long school-supplies lists as they have in past years. Also, Altrusa did not host its in-person back-to-school fair in August 2020 because COVID-19 precautions prevented gatherings.

And importantly, the organization’s members did not want to compete for donations with charities that were helping families put food on the table and pay bills.

“We cut back on the fundraising just because of the other needs in the community – not because our numbers were fewer. Our numbers increased,” said Maureen Fear, president of Altrusa International of Door County.

School district officials are providing Altrusa with the number of students whose families need a financial break – numbers that have almost doubled during a three-year span. In 2019, about 650 students received backpacks filled with supplies, a voucher for a pair of shoes and a book of their choosing at the back-to-school fair. Altrusa provided services to 862 students in 2020, Fear said. Numbers submitted from districts point to a big increase in need by the fall of 2021.

“This year we were debating what to do, and we reached out to the schools, and early estimates of the number eligible is almost 1,100 kids,” Fear said.

Some families will be eligible for a package from Altrusa for the first time in 2021, and other families have received help from the organization for all of their children through the years.

Fear said it’s important for children to start the school year wearing a good pair of shoes and having a nice backpack filled with the supplies they need, just like the rest of the students.

“It puts them on the same playing field socially,” Fear said.

Schools provide Altrusa with the number of students whose families need assistance, and Altrusa puts together a packet and registration form in English and/or Spanish. District officials then put the names and addresses of parents or guardians on envelopes that go into the mail.

“We only get the names once they register; it’s their choice to contact us and start the process,” Fear said. 

She said parents should not feel that there’s anything negative about receiving help with back-to-school supplies because about a quarter of the county’s students will qualify, and many parents had to stay home with children rather than go to work during the current school year.

Usually, Altrusa receives a package of school supplies for each student from edukitinc.com, but in August 2020, supply-chain and production issues caused the local organization to change plans. Instead, Altrusa provided $50 gift cards for school supplies for middle school and high school students and $35 certificates for grade-school students. Nicolet Bank waived fees for the gift cards, Fear said. That’s in addition to a voucher for shoes and socks from Dunham’s Sports.

Altrusa will forgo the in-person fair again this year because of uncertainties about vaccinations, construction projects at Sturgeon Bay and Sevastopol school buildings, and the sheer number of students whose families may choose to receive help. There’s uncertainty as well about what the school-supply lists will entail.

Altrusa could also use donations. The organization is behind on fundraising for 2021-22 because of the cancellation of its usual holiday extravaganza before Christmas. Altrusa will apply for grants and solicit support from businesses and individuals this year as usual, but the competition for grants is fierce.

The Salvation Army shared some proceeds from Altrusa volunteers’ bell-ringing efforts before Christmas, which will go toward the cost of athletic shoes each year. Altrusa also received an $8,000 grant through the 100+ Women Who Care organization, to be used for Altrusa’s annual reading program, which is separate from its back-to-school fair. The Wisconsin Public Service Foundation continues to support Altrusa as well, providing a $2,000 grant to help pay for this year’s supplies.

Learn more about Altrusa’s initiatives and work at altrusaofdoorcounty.org or on the Altrusa of Door County Facebook page. Its address is Altrusa of Door County, P.O. Box 523, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235.