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Yellowknife woman helps YWCA with school supply donations

Yellowknife woman helps YWCA with school supply donations

A Yellowknife woman is collecting donations to help parents struggling to afford school supplies.

That's a pain that Jessica Arnold knows all too well.

"I understand being from an underprivileged family, I'd call it," she said. "My mother worked two or three jobs to keep us going, so I didn't get the cool backpack."

Arnold moved to Yellowknife three years ago. Not hearing of any school supply drives, she decided to start one of her own, reaching out to family and friends through posters, word of mouth and social media.

Supplies that parents are required to purchase for children attending Yellowknife schools, beginning in kindergarten, can cost about $50 per student per year. The lists of required items include things such as pencils, paper, whiteboard markers, duotangs, and facial tissue.

In her first year, Arnold collected supplies for about six students. This year, she's hoping to collect enough for 50.

Arnold donates all the supplies she collects to the Yellowknife YWCA, which distributes them to families in need. In 2014 the organization distributed donations to about 200, a YWCA spokesperson said.

Metro Huculak, superintendent of Yellowknife Education District No. 1, said Arnold isn't alone in her desire to help students, citing "one business gentleman" who anonymously provides monthly money for food in local schools.

School board can help

Parents struggling to afford school supplies can also contact the YK1 school board office for help.

No proof of income is required, Huculak said, adding that he's not worried about parents taking advantage of the system.

"In my view, I think the amount of parents who would do that is either nil or very few and we're not concerned about that because if we can support kids, that's what we want to do," he said.

"We want to make sure that students have the supplies that they need in the classroom."

As a rule, Huculak said the board doesn't provide items such as clothes and shoes but if teachers are aware that students need them, there may be help available for that as well.

Huculak said he hopes, by next year, the board will able to shorten the list of supplies the kids need to bring to school, making it more affordable for parents.

For her part, Arnold said she plans to move away from Yellowknife in the coming months, but she hopes that someone will carry on the effort she's started, and that it continues to grow.

"I want to give something back to Yellowknife because Yellowknife has done a lot for me," she said.