Adelante Family Resource Center, a program of La Puente, is meeting the needs of PreK-12th Grade students across rural areas of San Luis Valley (SLV) by providing them with school supplies for the 2025-2026 school year.
Historically, La Puente held a backpack distribution outside of our three Rainbow’s End Thrift Stores. We found this wasn’t meeting the true needs of the K-12 students in the SLV in rural counties and school districts.
Last year, we began reaching out to the most rural counties across the SLV, where students have access to supplies that will help ensure their success for the school year ahead of them. Partnering with 7 different school districts across the SLV, we successfully distributed 15,000 school items (not including pens and pencils) to help set up 1,356 PreK-12th Grade students up for success!
We anticipate increased need this year as three additional school districts have already signed up as of April to participate in the 2025 Distribution. Surveyed teachers in the San Luis Valley have shared their concerns about covering supply gaps, which are often paid for out of pocket. We at Adelante Family Resource Center are actively contacting local schools, identifying which districts have families with the most need, consulting schools’ supplies lists, surveying teachers, and ordering supplies that specifically meet grade requirements. Our goal is to be strategic in the ways that we supplement students’ school supplies to offset some of the burden carried by families and teachers. Because we buy in bulk, we are able to spend on average $20 per child to cover most of their basic school supplies that would otherwise cost families $40+ per child if they went to a superstore on their own.
As with last year’s event, our staff and volunteers will host the distribution at different sites across the SLV to promote accessibility. Supplies will be organized so that students can choose their own grade-specific supplies. Last year, one second-grader left with a backpack full of everything pink, from pencil sharpeners to scissors to notebooks! A family with 2 school-aged children shared, “Every little bit helps” while another caregiver praised the individualized attention staff and volunteers gave his children, saying, “They talked to each child like it matters. And having options to choose from is great!”
For more information or questions please contact Adelante’s Director, Tara Bay, at [email protected]
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This event is brought about with La Puente’s Adelante Family Resource Center. Adelante promotes the empowerment and stabilization of families. Adelante-supported families, are offered individualized assistance in the navigation of resources that will help families set and reach their goals. Services include assistance with housing, case management, referrals, improved access to counseling, and family advocacy. Through supporting families as they seek to improve their quality of life and achieve a healthy interdependence, Adelante seeks to be a resource center for all families who wish to flourish, especially for those who need a bit of extra support to make their dreams a reality. For the School Supply Drive, Adelante partners with SLV Community Solutions, local organizations, school districts, and teachers to best serve students in the SLV!