COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Back-to-school season is approaching in Colorado Springs, and while the cost of school supplies is a challenge for many families, foster families face an added emotional weight, making sure the children in their care feel like they truly belong.
Kids Crossing, a local nonprofit, held a school supply drive to help ease that burden, packing backpacks with notebooks, binders, pencils, and other essentials for foster children in the community.
But organizers say the effort goes well beyond checking items off a list.
Tara Wehner, a foster parent, said the impact of receiving brand-new supplies is significant for the children.
"When kids are able to get new backpacks and new school supplies and items that they can call their own that are not hand me downs and that are not, um, other people's, they get their own stuff they get confidence to go to school and just be able to have something they call their own and it just helps build their confidence going into school," said Wehner.
Kids Crossing is also working to relieve the stress that foster and kinship parents carry as they navigate the demands of caring for children while managing rising costs.
"We try to take as much of the stress as we can, and school supplies is one easy thing we can do to take off the plate of our busy parents, foster parents, and kinship parents, and, um, you know, cost of living and things have really increased, and this is one way we can show our kids and families, um, how we support them," said Hilary Bridges, assistant executive director of Kids Crossing.
The drive also addresses needs that go beyond the classroom. Many foster children arrive at new homes without basic belongings.
"A lot of our kids don't come with a lot of their belongings, so basic things like socks and shoes and underwear and jackets when it gets colder are big needs for our kids and families," said Bridges.
Kids Crossing has an Amazon wish list where community members can purchase supplies online. For those who are unable to donate financially, the organization says spreading the word about their mission also makes a meaningful difference for foster kids in the Colorado Springs area.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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