As the school year quickly approaches, families across Northern Santa Barbara County are facing the annual financial strain of back-to-school shopping. With the average cost of school supplies now nearing $900 per household, many parents are feeling the pinch.
To help ease that burden, the United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County is bringing back its community-wide school supply drive under a new name: “Cram the Van.”
The campaign invites residents to donate backpacks, notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and other essentials that will be distributed to local students in need. While the name has changed, the mission remains the same: give children the tools they need to start the school year ready to learn.
“We started this 19 years ago,” said Eddie Taylor, CEO of United Way NSBC. “We used to park school buses outside stores and ask the community to help us stuff them. Now we use large vans and trailers. It’s easier to manage, but it’s still about making sure students walk into school prepared.”
This year’s drive comes as costs reach record highs. According to the National Retail Federation, American families with school-age children are expected to spend an average of $890 on supplies, clothing, and electronics for the 2025-26 school year.
“If you had to make a choicebetween paying for daycare and buying school supplies, where would you go?” Taylor asked. “You [have] to pay for daycare so you can go to work. So this is a small way that we can all do something.”
For parents like Anna Andrade, a lifelong Santa Maria resident and mother of six, back-to-school shopping is both stressful and strategic. She has a junior in high school, an eighth grader, a seventh grader, and a preschooler—each with different classroom requirements.
“I usually buy here and there,” Andrade said. “Two binders one trip, a few folders the next. Every grade level needs different things, and the big items like 1.5-inch binders and backpacks go fast. I always try to get those early.”
Over the years, Andrade says she’s seen a rise in the cost of core supplies, especially paper, binders, and dividers. Crayons and glue sticks tend to be more affordable, but even those small costs add up with multiple children.
“I’ve been doing this for more than ten years,” she said. “Even though some of their work is now online with Chromebooks or MacBooks, they still need physical supplies, especially things like grid paper, scissors, index cards. Those go fast.”
To support families like Andrade’s, United Way is hosting its first confirmed Cram the Van event on Saturday, August 9, at the Walmart on Blosser Road in Santa Maria. The drive will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
A second event in Lompoc is still in the planning stages, with organizers encouraging the public to check social media or the United Way website for updates in the coming weeks.
“Even a single box of crayons or a notebook makes a difference in one child’s life,” said Ignacio “Nacho” Sanchez, United Way’s warehouse manager. “Whatever you can do, even if it’s just like a box of pencils or highlighters, if it’s something like a backpack or school notebook, all this adds up [and] makes a big difference in one child’s life.”
Sanchez oversees the collection and distribution process, where donated items are packed into backpacks and delivered directly to schools throughout the county. Last year, the organization distributed supplies to students in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Solvang, and more.
This year, the nonprofit is also placing collection bins at businesses and community centers across Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Lompoc. For those who can’t attend the August 9 event, the bins provide an easy way to donate during regular business hours.
The drive also depends on volunteers, people who can help greet donors, run supplies to the van, and organize materials for distribution. Taylor says past success has been made possible by community groups like school districts, youth sports teams, and even FedEx and UPS drivers who helped deliver donation barrels between businesses and the United Way warehouse.
“We’re reintroducing that model post-pandemic,” Taylor said. “If drivers are already going business to business, they can help too.”
Walmart continues to play a central role in the program, offering parking lot space for donation drives and helping coordinate with store managers. Taylor emphasizes that anyone can make a difference.
“If we all do a little, we can accomplish great things together,” he said. “Let’s help a bunch of kids.”
For updates on event dates, volunteer opportunities, or donation bin locations, residents can their social media pages: @UnitedWayNSBC on Facebook, Instagram, or X.
