Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Sustenance Hope Opportunities Place, known as the S.H.O.P., at the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC received 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to help Five Towns families facing financial hardship as students headed back to school.
The backpacks were donated through a partnership with State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and Green Acres Mall, providing children served by the Cedarhurst social services hub with supplies for the new academic year.
The S.H.O.P., at 591 Malvin Mall in Cedarhurst, provides essential goods, nutritional support and other assistance to individuals and families experiencing hardship throughout the community.
“For many families, back to school is an exciting time,” Stacey Feldman, executive director of the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC wrote in a news release. “Unfortunately, it is also a time of stress for many families in our community. Expensive items for families who are struggling to make ends meet. These beautiful backpacks filled with supplies will bring a huge smile to the faces of children who will be starting school.”
The donation comes as the cost of preparing children for a new school year continues to put pressure on household budgets.
According to a National Retail Federation study, families with children in elementary through high school planned to spend an average of $836 on back-to-school items this year. Total spending was expected to reach a record $43.3 billion, up from $39.4 billion last year, driven by slight increases in planned spending on shoes, school supplies and electronics.
Among shoppers who had not yet purchased most of their back-to-school items, 46 percent said they were waiting for better deals, while 23 percent said they would make smaller purchases during the school year.
For some Five Towns families, however, reusing supplies from previous years can help keep those expenses down.
Gelena Suley, a District 14 resident, said she spent no more than $30 on school supplies this year, helped in part by the convenience of shopping through Amazon.
“As [the] kids got older, I stopped worrying about supplies,” Suley said, noting that she has two children, including one who is a freshman at George W. Hewlett High School. “I realized they had a supply box in the house and had mostly everything they needed.”
For families already struggling to make ends meet, even basic school necessities can add another expense to an already strained household budget. The 100 backpacks distributed through the S.H.O.P. were intended to ease some of that burden while ensuring children had what they needed for the start of classes.
Feldman thanked Canzoneri-Fitpatrick for the donation, reiterating the strain the start of the school year puts on families financially.
“They can [now] begin their new academic year with dignity and ready for success,” she said.
“Backpacks are an essential part of a student’s school year, and everyone deserves to have the proper resources for the upcoming year,” said Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick.”Stacey and her team at the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC do a great job of making sure families have access to great resources, and I am glad that I was able to contribute to that and make sure students are given the best chance to succeed this school year.”
