HISD collaborates with partners for Back-to-School Bonanza amid storm recovery

Houston ISD is preparing for the 2024-2025 school year as students, families, and communities recover from a recent storm. The district’s Community Partnerships Department is collaborating with local organizations to provide essential learning resources through the annual Back-to-School Bonanza.

"Research shows that children who have their own school supplies are more creative, have better attitudes toward learning, and ultimately achieve higher grades," stated HISD officials. The financial burden on parents continues to rise, with elementary school supplies costing over $200, middle school supplies around $300, and high school supplies approximately $375 annually. In light of these costs, HISD emphasizes the importance of community support in organizing supply drives to ensure every student is prepared for success.

HISD invites community members to participate in the Bonanza by hosting supply drives, making donations, or volunteering at distribution events. Popular strategies include setting up donation boxes or containers at various locations or organizing one-day events where donations can be collected at community gatherings or corporate events. Detailed instructions can be found in the Back-to-School Bonanza toolkit.

The district advises against donating used school supplies or items containing offensive content.

To host a supply drive, interested parties should fill out a form provided by HISD. For volunteering opportunities at distribution events, contact HISD Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) at (713) 556-8477.

Donations of school supplies can be delivered to the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center at 4400 W. 18th St., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., between July 8 and August 8.

Monetary contributions are also welcomed and will be used to purchase school supplies at cost-saving rates. Donations can be made through the Houston ISD Foundation's website. Questions can be directed to Community Relations Liaison Angelica Francis Adams at (713) 556-7200. More information is available on the Houston ISD website under Community Partnerships.