Back to school shopping used to be a lot of fun when my kids were little. I truly enjoyed helping them to pick out their character lunchboxes, colorful backpacks and folders decorated with animals and funky graphics.
My kids are teenagers now. They rather we give them money to buy their own supplies, or they stuff everything into one binder. I think I would be in total shock if either of them had a folder with a cute character on it.
Sigh… I miss those days.
When children are little, back to school shopping can be the highlight of the year (next to their birthday and holidays of course). Sadly, many children across the country and their families cannot afford even the most basic supplies. That breaks my heart. That is why each year I take advantage of the awesome Back to School sales and purchase more than my kids could ever use to donate them to kids in need. I know a lot of people who do that.
This year Toyota is partnering with Volunteers of America’s Operation Backpack to donate school supplies for kids in need too.
Operation Backpack wants to help children start the school year off right. Your donation to Operation Backpack provides backpacks, supports after-school and mentoring programs, and offers other vital services to a child in need.
It’s not just about school supplies – it’s also giving a child a chance to learn and grow.
Toyota was kind enough to send me a 2015 Toyota Camry and a $50 gift card to purchase school supplies to donate to children in need. For me that will be where I work. I see a lot of children whose families don’t have much, let alone school supplies.
This past Saturday my husband and I canvassed local stores (Staples, Office Depot, Target…) to see what sales were going on for Back to School shopping. I was determined to get the maximum amount of supplies out of the gift card.
Notice how empty the trunk is in the Toyota Camry. I was determined to fill it up with school supplies.
I’m glad that Toyota sent us the Camry. We did a lot of driving that day. We hit up eight stores that – EIGHT! Not to mention we had to stop for lunch.
Our daughter had to work so we took our son along with us. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do that day but after a while he really got into it and it turned out to be a great lesson in budgeting, looking for the best deal and giving to those in need.
The first few stores we stopped at DIDN’T have any great deals. They did in their flyer, but we didn’t come across any in the stores.
I was hoping to find crayons for less than $1 each.
We hit up four stores in the same shopping plaza. We really didn’t see anything that we thought was a great deal, so we hopped back into the Camry and drove up the road to Staples.
BINGO!
Staples had a lot of awesome sales going on and plenty of products in stock – except for the crayons I wanted to stock up on.
Staples didn’t have any small boxes of crayons in stock, but we were able to score single subject notebooks for .25 cents, loose leaf paper for .75 cents and two pocket folders for .15 cents. Talk about a great sale!
We made sure to pick up a variety of colors for the notebooks and folders (two of each color).
We also picked up pens, pencils and a few more goodies.
I was shocked that the bill came to $18 and change. WOW!!! We picked up 18 single subject notebooks, four packages of lose leaf paper, nearly two dozen folders and more. That meant we have a little over $30 left on the gift card. It was time to go to another store.
We still had more to get. I was determined to get crayons. I also wanted to get pencil pouches or cases to make up a few “sets” to hand out to children.
Our next stop was Target. There we did find crayons. They were more than I wanted to spend, but, at least I had them.
We also picked up erasers, pencil sharpeners, scissors and a few other goodies.
My husband, son and I were very pleased with all the goodies we purchased, and we still had a little money left on the gift card Toyota sent me.
After a quick lunch we headed over to our local Dollar Store to see if they had pencil cases/pouches and rulers.
Thankfully the Dollar Store had some awesome pencil pouches. Because I was running low on funds we were only able to get six of them – but that was OK. We picked up three girl-friendly colors and three boy-friendly colors.
In addition to the pencil pouches we picked up small flash cards (alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers…) to put one pack into each pencil pouch. We also picked up six books. I was hoping they fit in the pencil pouches. They did but once we filled the pouches the books no longer fit.
When we got home we poured out our “bounty” on the coffee table to separate everything. My husband and son helped me to fill the pencils pouches with crayons, scissors, an eraser, pencils, stickers, flashcards and other goodies.
My “game plan” is to give each child a filled pencil pouch as well as a folder, notebook and reading book. All the additional supplies (the left over glue sticks, notebooks, folders…) I’ll also donate.
I am very pleased with how they turned out.
Currently I have all the supplies and filled pouches in a tote bag that I am going to take to work with me this week. I cannot wait to see the look on a child’s face when I hand him/her a nice assortment of supplies to start their school year off on the right foot. I just wish I could have picked up more.
This was such a fun day and I a glad that my husband and son were able to help me on my quest to get as many supplies as I could. Although he won’t admit it (you’ve got to love teenagers) my son enjoyed himself too.
It always feels great to give back. It makes my heart smile.
A special thank you to Toyota for letting us use one of their Camrys and for the gift card to purchase supplies.
The 2015 Toyota Camry that we drove is really nice. I have never been in a Camry before. I have seen them but never had the opportunity to drive one.
The Camry is very roomy. Even my son, who has long legs, was very comfortable in the backseat.
The trunk was also very roomy which was great because it held all our school supplies.
I love the color of the car they sent. Its an awesome blue color.
The Toyota Camry is a great family car. Both of my kids said they felt like they had plenty of room in the backseat. As both a driver and a passenger in the car I also felt like there was more than enough room.
The car drove very nicely – very smooth.
It has great pick up too. We live near a parkway which we drive on frequently and we were able to merge into traffic with ease.
Everything was positioned nicely as far as the interior is concerned. Everything was easily accessible.
We received a hybrid and it was VERY quiet. At one point when I was driving and stopped in traffic I thought the car had turned off because I didn’t feel or hear anything. It shocked me for a moment. I thought the car had broke down or shut off.
We used the car a lot so far and it’s doing good with the gas as well. We haven’t had a need to fill up yet and we’ve used the car every day as well as the air conditioner.
If I hadn’t just purchased a new (used) car a few months ago I would certainly consider the Toyota Camry. So far I am enjoying the ride.
For more information about Toyota, or to find a location near you, visit www.Toyota.com. You can also connect with the brand on social media (all of the links found on the bottom of their website).
Be sure to check out the hashtags #ToyotaGivesBack and #LetsGoPlaces too.
I hope this post will inspire you to donate school supplies to children in need in your community or to donate to Volunteers of America’s Operation Backpack.
Kimberly
*I received use of a car for one week as well as a $50 gift card in exchange for my participation. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.