School materials are given away to more than 500 families in Arecibo
By The Star Staff
It’s no secret that school is just one month away for Puerto Rico’s youth, and the annual summer vacation will soon draw to a close.
While this may only seem like a difficult time to handle for students, the truth is that parents don’t get away from the difficulties of the back-to-school season. Finding the right items to buy, going into stores filled with hundreds of people, with the items running out of stock, the extraordinarily long lines and finding the right shoe size is not necessarily an enjoyable experience.
According to multinational financial service network Deloitte, 37% of American parents spent about 661$ per child on school supplies during the 2022 back-to-school season. Considering that around 55% of children in Puerto Rico are living under the poverty line, this is a tough season for parents and their wallets. Thankfully, some island municipalities understand this reality and are taking action to alleviate some of the economic burden that comes with back-to-school shopping. Arecibo is one of those municipalities.
Last Friday, following through on his commitment the youth of Arecibo, Rep. José “Memo” González, in collaboration with the Office of Socioeconomic and Community Development of Puerto Rico (ODSEC by its Spanish acronym) and the Governor’s Office, impacted more than 500 low-income families by giving away school material kits, just ahead of the start of classes in August. Materials were also given away to the childcare agency Hogar Infantil Santa Teresa.
“On Friday, more than 500 families that live in Arecibo benefited from the school materials given away to the youth of our town, even backpacks were given away for the preparation of going back to school in August,” said González, the District 14 (Arecibo and Hatillo) representative. “I am very grateful to attorney Thais Reyes from the ODSEC and all of the personnel from the Office of the Governor, representing Caridad “Cary” Pierluisi, for joining and supporting such an important event for our people.”
“We are aware that these times are very difficult for families, which is why we planned this event, to help alleviate the economic weight of back-to-school items,” the legislator added. “On Friday we proceeded to give away backpacks, pencils, notebooks and other school materials that may be needed, with the aim of promoting a better school environment for the youth, the future of Arecibo and Puerto Rico.”
Also on hand at the event was Rep. Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló, the alternate New Progressive Party minority leader in the island House of Representatives, as well as officials from the Anti-Addiction and Health Services Administration.
Hogar Infantil Santa Teresa, which is attached to the Family Department, actively maintains an enrollment of around 20 boys and girls who come from homes where they were mistreated.