The Elaine Education Foundation hosts school supply drive for Baton Rouge students

August 2, 2026 - 04:43

BATON ROUGE - The Elaine Education Foundation held its annual school supply drive on Saturday at The Chapel on Siegen Lane, aiming to ease the financial strain on local families as the new academic year approaches. The event, which ran through the morning and early afternoon, provided free backpacks, notebooks, pencils, calculators, and other essential classroom materials to students from elementary through high school.

Organizers said the response was strong, with hundreds of families passing through the venue. Volunteers, many of them local teachers and college students, helped distribute supplies and also offered on-site registration for the foundation's tutoring and mentorship programs. The foundation, known for its focus on educational equity, has been running this drive for several years, but this year's effort was scaled up to meet what they described as a growing need.

"We saw more requests than ever before," said a foundation spokesperson. "Parents are dealing with higher costs on everything, and school supplies can be a real burden. We wanted to make sure no child starts the year without the basics." The drive also included a small resource fair, where families could learn about after-school programs and free meal sites. Any leftover supplies will be donated to local schools for students who need them in the coming weeks.