On the morning of July 31, a long line of cars slowly inched down Yucca Street toward Santa Fe High School’s parking lot for the chance to receive free school supplies.
“Have a good school year!” Santa Fe High Activities Coordinator Gina Branch, one of several people handing out supplies, called out to families as they exited the parking lot, holding plastic bags packed with pencils, highlighters, notebooks, folders, scissors and art supplies.
This back-to-school event has grown exponentially from the previous year: in 2023, the district reported that they gave out nearly 400 bags of school supplies to families. This year, volunteers handed out more than 1,200.
“It’s rewarding to see that the kids are getting what they need, and they’ll be able to have a full, successful school year,” Branch tells SFR.
Ruth Perez, the school district’s event and engagement specialist, tells SFR the increase in supply bags has been very helpful to making the event successful. She notes that last year, the district ran out of bags less than 20 minutes after opening.
“This time, we haven’t really had to turn anybody away; we’ve been able to get at least some supplies to everybody,” she says.
Perez, who also works in the school district’s department of equity and inclusion, adds that school supply giveaway events are important to making education more accessible for all families, especially those who struggle financially.
“It may not solve all the problems, but it’s an extra, ‘Here you go, this is going to help you, this is going to help your teacher and if you need supplies at home to complete homework, you have those as well,’” Perez explains.
Even after running out of supply bags about two hours after opening, volunteers were still able to help out the few cars remaining by handing out $20 gift cards—roughly equal to the cost of supplies given out in the bags.
“We were able to give out gift cards, which I think is fantastic, because I know some people were waiting a long time and that’s very disappointing, when you’re waiting,” Perez says. “I feel very happy we were able to get supplies out to the people who really needed it, and that we don’t have this whole line of people waiting.”
This year was also the first time SFPS partnered with the State Employees Credit Union for assistance with the event by packing up the bags a week before, donating the gift cards and volunteering to distribute.
Samantha Elsey, a business development officer from the SECU who volunteered at the event, tells SFR their involvement stems from the credit union’s commitment to giving back to the community.
“We consider Santa Fe Public Schools a partner in our communities to improve overall well-being…and I think we’ve got a lot of manpower,” Elsey tells SFR. “It’s been very smooth, and the kids seem really excited, which makes me very happy.”
The Santa Fe Teen Center will be hosting its own back-to-school event in partnership with Molina Healthcare on Aug. 3, for any families who were unable to pick up free supplies at Santa Fe High. Students from grades K-12 will be able to pick up free school supplies and a backpack from 11 am until 2 pm.
In addition, the state’s Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekend kicks off a 12:01 am Aug. 2 and runs to midnight on Aug. 4. Officials say the event can save shoppers up to 8% on qualifying purchases, which include clothing and shoes priced at less than $100 per unit; computers priced under $1,000;and related computer hardware priced under $500. School supplies under $30 per unit for use in standard, general-education classrooms also qualify—find more information on qualifying items here.