'It's a struggle': Students face difficult return to school with rising cost of living - Action News
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Sudbury

'It's a struggle': Students face difficult return to school with rising cost of living

One Sudbury, Ont., student says itll be particularly difficult to get what she needs for the new school year, as local organizations ramp up their efforts to secure supplies for low- income families.

Northeastern Ontario organizations ramp up efforts to secure supplies for students

People loading off supplies from a truck.
Organisations are stepping up their efforts to secure supplies ahead of the back to school season, like Barrie-based Providing Instruments for Excellence and local Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers who delivered 2,000 backpacks to Greater Sudbury today. (Aya Dufour/CBC)

Callie is taking a look at her school supplies as she prepares to start Grade 12 in a few weeks.

"It's a struggle," says the 17-year-old from Sudbury. "All my stuff is really oldit's probably going to break soon."

Getting new books, clothes and materials won't be easy, though, as money is tight.

"No one works in my family," she said.

CBC has agreed not to use her last name because of the stigma attributed to living in poverty.

Many students in the regionface similar situations, according to United Way North East Ontario.

"We've heard a lot about children not being equipped to go back to school, from schools themselves, from parent groups or different organizations," saidexecutive director Mary Lou Hussak.

Lower half of bodies of a couple of children with backpacks.
Northeastern Ontario groups are ramping up their efforts to offer supplies as students prepare to return to school. (CBC)

"Some parents are having to choose between putting food on the table or getting clothes, shoes and backpacks for their kids."

Canada's annual inflation rate fell to 2.7 per cent in June,down from 2.9 per cent in May, according to the latest report. However, the inflation rate for groceries accelerated for the second straight month to 2.1 per cent, after mostly falling since January 2023, when prices rose 11.4 per cent annually.

To helpfamilies in Timmins, North Bay and Sudbury as they prepare for the school year,United Way North East Ontario is launching a pilot program.

Under the program, a student is matched with a volunteer and a parent and givenmoney to go shopping for a couple of items.

"It's also teaching financial literacy. They have a budget and they get to shop within it," said Hussak.

Backpacks as a good starting point

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall saidthese types of initiatives can make a difference. He was in Greater Sudbury on Tuesday to deliver 2,000 backpacks as part of the initiative known as PIE: Providing Instruments for Excellence.

A man with boxes in his hand.
Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall is pictured here during a delivery of backpacks to the Greater Sudbury community. Providing Instruments for Excellence will deliver more than 7,000 backpacks throughout the province over the next few weeks. (Aya Dufour/CBC)

"Going back to school was really difficult for me as a kid," he said.

"On birthdays and Christmas, you celebrate behind closed doors as family, but when you're going back to school, everyone's like opening these gifts altogether in the classroom.

"It became a really difficult thing for my own confidence and self-esteem inside of school."

He believesfocusing on one back-to-school essential like a backpack is a good place to start.

"It frees up resources for clothing, being involved in extracurricular activities or programs," he said. "There's a bit of a domino effect."