AUSTIN, Texas — Manos de Cristo plans to help 1,500 Central Texas kids in need through a back-to-school giveaway this week.
The nonprofit will hand out a backpack, new clothes (underwear, sock and T-shirts) and limited school supplies to 350 kids each day from Tuesday through Friday, on a first-come, first-served basis. The event will be held daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the North Austin YMCA, located on West Rundberg Lane.
The giveaway is specifically for kids in pre-K through the 5th grade. Parents should know their children's clothing size, the name of their school and their grade. Parents and guardians will also be required to show an ID.
"Parents are expected to spend, on average, $661 per child in grades K-12 on back-to-school purchases – 8% more than in 2021 ($612) – according to a 2022 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey of 1,200 U.S. parents. Pre-pandemic spending per child was $519 in 2019, the firm found," Manos de Cristo said in a press release about the event. "Year after year, the price to prepare a child for school increases. This cost is beyond the reach of thousands of low-income, working-poor families in our area."
Manos de Cristo said it is able to purchase items for the back-to-school giveaway at wholesale prices. The nonprofit said the easiest way for community members to support the program is through a monetary donation, with a donation of $60 helping preparing one child for school.
The nonprofit said the back-to-school giveaway is sponsored in part by private donors and Austin-area Presbyterian churches. However, Manos de Cristo said the cost for it to host the giveaway increase each year and it "cannot continue the program without support from the community.
If you would like to support the program by underwriting the cost of a child's clothing and backpack, you can click here to learn more about how to help.