All across America parents are preparing to send their kids back to school (and some have already sent their kids back) and that can only mean one thing: shopping for school supplies.

I loved getting new school supplies. Picking out my Trapper Keeper; new packs of college-ruled three-hole paper; new pencils and pens; new highlighters; saving mom’s paper grocery sacks to be used as my book covers; and designing the decor for my locker. These were the things I loved each August. Have I mentioned previously how much of a geek I was growing up? Seriously, the only thing I lacked was taped together glasses.

Even in the tough years, we managed to find money for school supplies, even if it meant that I saved my summer babysitting money to buy them myself or used my Trapper Keeper (this was actually my 6th grade Trapper Keeper) from the previous year to save money.

Not every family is as fortunate as mine. In fact, families living near or below the poverty line often can’t afford school supplies. From what my friends tell me, because of budget cuts, schools place more of a burden on parents to not only purchase basic school supplies for their kids, but they often have to provide classroom supplies like hand sanitizer, paper towels, and more.

Here is the 4th grade school supply list from Princeton Elementary School in Princeton, Louisana. I did a quick run-through of Walmart online and discovered that for boys this list will cost $105.21 to $175.60 and for girls it will cost $107.07 to $176.61. I looked for gender neutral items, but at the end of the list, girls are asked to purchase certain items and boys are asked to purchase certain items. That’s the cost difference.

The bottom line is that sending kids back to school is expensive, whether you are relatively affluent or you are straddling the poverty line. For those living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to put food on the table, school supplies are far outside their budget.

Fortunately, many organizations do school supply drives and backpack giveaways. These are terrific, but in my experience, they target mostly K-8aged kids.

For little kids, there are a couple of school supply give aways happening:

Now imagine you have a kid in high school where the needs are quite different. They need more durable backpacks. Depending on what math classes they take, they’ll need fancy graphing calculators; my friends tell me that the TI-84 Plus CE ($115.59 to $150 on Amazon) is the required calculator. Many schools expect that kids have access to a variety of technology tools including digital cameras, video equipment, computers, and printers at home and have required assignments that can only be produced using these items. Not to mention money for gas to get to and from internships.

Depending upon what elective classes kids are taking, there may be lots of specialized supplies needed. Here’s a list from Derby High School. Although the list is from 2009, I think it’s safe to say it’s pretty representative of what kids need.

All of this is, of course, in addition to expenses for school uniforms, gym uniforms, locks for both gym lockers and hallway lockers, yearbooks, and a parking pass*.

Of course, by the time girls are in high school, they also need feminine hygiene products. Many schools no longer have dispensers in the bathroom, so teachers have begun stockpiling these items to help out girls who can’t afford this most basic necessity. Of course, they’re doing it at their own expense. No school has a tampon budget.

Because school supplies for high school kids vary so greatly, Township High School District 214, serving the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, encourages the donation of gift cards that counselors and schools could use to buy cold weather gear and basic and specialized school supplies. Donations for the purchase of yearbooks would also be welcome. If you’d like to make a donation to District 214, contact District 214 Education Foundation via email or by phone at 847-718-7708, or on their website.

Frankly, all high schools need donations. If you’d like to donate to your local high school, contact the principal and ask about what’s needed. And don’t forget about things like feminine hygiene products, gas cards, and other non-traditional school supplies.

Another way to support schools is to make the money you’re spending go further.

• Do you have a Target REDcard? Target will donate 1% of your purchases  to a local school of your choice. Sign up here for Target.
• Are you a Heinens customer? Heinens grocery stores in Ohio and Illiinois donates 1% of purchases made between September and April to the school of your choice. Sign up here for Heinens.
• Box Tops for Education are a great way to help supplement a school’s budget. For every Box Top clipped and redeemed, Box Tops for Education will send the school 10 cents, which the schools can use to purchase whatever they need. That may not sound like much, but it adds up. Since 1996, Box Tops for Education has given $525 million to participating schools.
• Labels for Education includes Campbell soup labels and is another terrific way to help schools. Collect and turn in participating product labels to your local schools. Those labels are converted into points, which schools can use to “shop” a catalog of school supplies including academic, athletic, and art supplies.
• Amazon Smile. Raise your hand if you shop from Amazon.com. Okay, hands down. That’s everyone. Amazon has recently launched a program called Amazon Smile. You sign up for free, choose your charity, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the organization. If your school isn’t listed, you can add it and Amazon Smile will get them set up.

Personally, I’ve designated one of the schools with high poverty rates to receive the donations from my purchases. I do this because their property tax base is so low and they’re not getting the same kind of state funding that the schools in my more affluent town are getting.

With very little effort, we can all help make a difference in the lives of kids this school year.

*Note, no matter what a senior tells you, you do not need to pay $5 for an elevator pass. Just trust me on this.

Do you enjoy reading Little Merry Sunshine? Of course you do.

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