NORTH BATTLEFORD — A North Battleford mother has organized a school supply drive to make back to school a little easier for families in need in the Battlefords.
Chelsey Gladue, who has six kids of her own, started the drive about a week and a half ago because she knows how hard it can be for families to afford the high cost of school supplies.
On Aug. 27, Gladue and her mother, Sonya Falcon, distributed donated items to families at Centennial Park in North Battleford.
She said the idea came after seeing a Facebook post from families asking if there was any help with back-to-school supplies.
Gladue said she knows firsthand what it’s like for families trying to make ends meet.
"My husband's always worked, but there was a time where he ended up not having a job just before school started," she said. "And then back to school, it gets quite pricey. I remember struggling.
"So I thought to myself, why couldn't we as a community just come together and throw a couple extra things in your cart if you're able to, or any gently used items that you had left over," Gladue added. "I just posted on my Facebook, and it blew up from there."
About a dozen families donated items. The Meota snack bar contributed $150 from their weekend tips to help purchase supplies.
Roughly 20 families and 30 to 40 students picked up donations at the event.
"It was really, really appreciated," said Gladue of the community’s response. "It was nice to see the kids get excited to get back into school."
Donated items included markers, crayons, pencils, pens, binders, gym shoes and lunchboxes.
Gladue said she was especially happy to see high school students benefit from the drive.
"The high school students are always left out, and that's where they really need the push to stay in school," she said. "A lot of them will drop out because they don't have the supplies they need to go to school. So I was really happy to see that we were able to help out a lot of high school students."
Gladue noted the back-to-school supply drive was such a success she plans to do it again next year.
"I'm thinking next year, if we start a little bit earlier, then we'll be able to assist more families in the community," she said.
