Too Soon for School Supplies

The pressure is on

by KR

0 Comments | Wednesday, July 22, 2026 under Summer Relief Campaign

I first saw it last week.
I was in one of those "stock" stores Israel is now famous for (imagine Amazing Savings meets a dollar store meets a (very) mini Walmart), and noticed a mother making her way through the school supply section with her daughter, list in hand, crossing off items one by one. Notebooks. Pens. A pack of markers in exactly the right colors. They moved through it together, methodically; you could tell they'd done this before.

That's when I actually became conscious of the fact that there was a school supply section. I couldn't help but recall how quickly it had appeared. It felt almost overnight. Not much earlier, the same area of the store had been the summer section. The shelves had been stocked with sunscreen and flip flops and water guns. Now the shelves held notebooks and binders. There were bins of pens and markers and white-out. A whole wall of backpacks. School supplies! Out on display before summer had barely had a chance to settle in.

Summer Has Barely Begun

And once again, I couldn't help it. 
My mind automatically went to the families B'ezri supports.
I couldn’t help thinking how difficult that sight must be for parents - how anxiety-inducing it must feel. Instead of being a cheerful reminder of an exciting, promising new school year ahead, as the school supply section so often is, it must feel like a weight in the stomach. A looming reminder that in just a few weeks, every child in the family will need those notebooks and supplies, let alone the uniforms, plus everything else required to begin the year. I couldn't help thinking about the kids who would wander through that section, gazing at all the choices available, wishing they could pick out anything they wanted from vast sea of beautiful, new supplies so they could show up on the first day of school decked out like everyone else.
 

Families Never Got a Break This Year

It's not as if this year gave those families any real chance to catch their breath first, either. Right as Purim started, war kept children home from school for weeks, and expenses climbed as parents couldn't get out to work. Then came Pesach, with its own costs stacked on top. The summer began shortly after and now, partially into July, the school supply aisle is already asking for more.

And as summer sun beats down, we all know in the back of our minds too, that the Yamim Noraim, with the numerous expenses that come with them, are right around the corner. This should be the season of lighter schedules and easier days, but it instead becomes one of the most stressful seasons of the year.
 

Give a Family Their Summer Back

This is why our Summer Relief Campaign matters so much. Donations give parents choices: how funds should best be used during the summer months, whether it's for camp fees, a utility bill, a small day trip for some much-needed time away, those school supplies or a combination of these. The ability to choose brings relief, but it also brings dignity.

Summer support will do more than get a family through the next few weeks. It gives a parent the chance to breathe, to choose, to face what's ahead without anxiety hanging over every decision. Your support gives them back the summer they deserve, one where the days are more about rest, and less about worry.
Help us make sure that for the families B'ezri supports, summer can feel a bit more like summer. And a walk through that school supply aisle can feel so much better.

DONATE NOW