Each year, obtaining critical school supplies for their children is a significant challenge for thousands of ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained) families and those living in poverty. This issue has been made more difficult by the pandemic, where ALICE was already navigating life without a safety net and one crisis away from financial despair. Even with the uncertainty of how children will return to school this fall, children need supplies to be able to begin school ready to learn.
Schools and local non-profit organizations serving thousands of students in our communities are seeing significant increases in need for assistance for struggling families – for food, access to technology and for basic school supplies. This summer, United Way’s Tools for School is looking to provide packed backpacks for local students through community and corporate donations.
Our goal is to support students in need from communities we serve: Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties as well as portions of suburban Essex County.
Please join us as we help children from ALICE households and those in poverty get a great start on the new school year! It’s EASY! It’s important! It’s fun!
Here are some ways to help:
* Sign up here to donate/provide one or more needed backpack(s) filled with school supplies: 2025TFS
* Run a Tools for School supply drive for new school supplies with your company, community group, faith organization, youth group, family or on your own!
* Donate or run an online donation drive via our partner, YouGiveGoods. Click HERE for the link to the 2025 drive page.
* Make a donation from our Amazon Tools for School Wishlist (which will be delivered to us):
* Make a monetary donation, which will be used to purchase needed school supplies and gift cards for additional school essentials for students. Click HERE to make a donation.
* Volunteering: For those running a drive or donating needed supplies, you are invited to register to volunteer in person at our Tools for School location in Bridgewater, NJ. Please check back on this site on July 16, 2025 to register for one or more volunteer slots during the week of August 11 - 13, 2025, which is when we will be working to pack backpacks and provide school supplies to local families.
* Sponsorships - if your company, business or group would be interested in becoming a sponsor for this year's Tools for School program, we will happily share sponsorship information. There are a variety of sponsorship levels and they all come with benefits for your group (including guaranteed volunteer slots for many sponsor levels). For more information, please contact Lisa Galonardo at Lisa.Galonardo@unitedwaynnj.org.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: Lisa Galonardo (Lisa.Galonardo@unitedwaynnj.org)
Thank you for your interest in assisting ALICE families and those experiencing poverty and giving their children a great start on the new school year.
