I am pleased to be participating in the Bag it Forward Champions for Kids Simple Service Project. As a mom of four children I know how expensive it can be to purchase school supplies. I get four separate school supply lists every year of what’s needed in the class room and it all definitely adds up. The public school system where I reside in NC had budget cuts and was in need of school supplies and relied heavily on donations from parents within the community and local organizations to help support the students and make it a progressive school year with much needed supplies. I remember two years ago my daughter wasn’t bringing home assignments because the text books weren’t allowed to leave school property and they were short on reams of printing paper so they couldn’t send home assignments. I was shocked! Why doesn’t an elementary school have enough paper to print homework assignments for children and why can’t text books leave school property? The answer was budget cuts; they hadn’t gotten new text books in years and didn’t want the ones they were holding on to damaged further because they didn’t know when new text books would be in the works. The reality is that we go through this every year! Teachers dip into their own pockets to purchase quality school supplies for their students and on basic classroom necessities.

I did some research on local organizations that I could donate school supplies to and the one that really jumped out at me was Crayons 2 Calculators. It supports Durham Public Schools Teachers & Students. I did some research on their website and then saw that there were local school supply drives going on within the community to support them and immediately wanted to know what was needed. I wasn’t going to miss my opportunity to Bag It Forward! I always buy what’s needed when school supply shopping I don’t want to just pick up random products. I want them to be used, so I acquired a list of the most needed items. I made a date with Walmart and left my kiddos at home! I stay sane shopping without four kids in the background. I know I’m NOT the only one! Immediately upon entering Walmart I saw the Elmer’s School Supply List Holders & the Champions for Kids Signage and donation boxes at each entrance. My shopping experience was great because all the school supplies are in one designated area and I love convenience. I didn’t have to go 10 aisles down to find a different item on the school supply list. It gets a little confusing when you are looking for items by name brand and they are all mixed up. I think that most name brands should be together even if multiple products are displayed depending upon the niche.

Walmart had great deals on the back to school items and I was content with my purchase. I had a flawless checkout experience and the cashier was friendly and chatted with me while scanning my items. I highly urge you to check out Champions for Kids and help make a difference in your community. You can follow Champion for Kids on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with information. It’s great that Elmer’s is a Sponsor and in support of this back to school movement “Like” Elmer’s on Facebook and follow @Elmers on Twitter to stay informed. They’re social! Stay Tuned for part two of this story… There’s definitely more to come!

To view more pictures of my entire experience feel free to check out my Google+ Album.

Disclosure: “I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids. #BagItForward #Champions4Kids #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions are solely my own.