Safe Children Coalition’s ‘Back to School Drive’ helps equip area students

For hundreds of area students and their caretakers, generous contributions from the community will help to reduce some of the financial stress of back-to-school time. Safe Children Coalition (SCC) has completed this year’s Back to School Drive, which fulfills school supply lists for hundreds of children in foster care or SCC’s prevention/diversion programs.

This year, enough supplies were donated to fill a total of 613 backpacks for children in preschool through high school. These were packed by the teen group from Suncoast Community Church, which has participated in this effort for many years.

For any family, back-to-school time can be stressful, especially when it comes time to purchase school supplies. Last year, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation, the estimated cost of back-to-school supplies was around $875 per household but that number can grow depending on the number of children and their ages.

The situation is even more challenging for children who are either in foster care or involved with prevention/diversion programs, where financial challenges can mean students will start off the year without the critical supplies needed for classroom success.
The Back to School Drive began while the 2024-2025 school year was just ending. Caring members of the community signed up for school supply lists as early as May, with supplies dropped off in early July. The teen volunteer group from Suncoast Community Church visited Safe Children Coalition on July 23 to pack the backpacks.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this year’s Back to School Drive, as the number of students we will be able to equip ended up being quite a bit higher than we expected,” said SCC President and CEO Brena Slater. “We are grateful to the caring people and organizations that support this program, year after year, to help give area children a chance to succeed in school.”

For more about Safe Children Coalition, visit sccfl.org.

About Safe Children Coalition
Safe Children Coalition, Inc. (SCC) serves as the lead agency for community-based care for Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. SCC is a collaboration between local community agencies who provide services to children and families in need. SCC is committed to protecting children and youth, strengthening families, and building community. The core functions provided by SCC include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention, diversion, quality management, and support services. Visit sccfl.org or call 941-371-4799.