Montrealers see rising demand for back-to-school assistance as costs climb

As Montreal families prepare for the new school year, local organizations say they are facing unprecedented demand for help with back-to-school supplies — even from people who, until recently, could afford them.

Community group Sun Youth is distributing essential school supplies to 800 children, including backpacks, calculators and binders, throughout this weekend. The annual event also featured games and activities to help ease the stress of the season.

But the organization’s director of emergency services, Jorgen Ulloa-Aguilar, said the demand far outstripped supply.

“We were getting requests for these limited spots as early as March and April,” he said. “We still had requests coming in the day before the event.”

Families had to register in advance, and with the cap at 800 children, Sun Youth said many were referred to other organizations. Ulloa-Aguilar said the need was “very, very high” this year, pointing to the rising cost of living as a major factor.

The price of school supplies alone had jumped 17 per cent since last year, according to Sun Youth. And that’s on top of higher grocery bills, rent, and other essentials.

For single mother of two, Esther Antoine, those costs add up quickly. She said food, school fees and uniforms all strain her budget. “It’s a lot to take on at once,” she said.

Others, like mother Modline Béveis, said the program made a “huge difference” for her family.

She’s received supplies for her twins from Sun Youth for the past two years and said the support was particularly helpful for newcomers trying to get settled in Canada.

In addition to school supplies, Sun Youth also offer food assistance, which Ulloa-Aguilar said can help parents reallocate some of their budget toward their children’s needs during the school year.

That extra boost is essential for people like Firdaus Bello, another mother at Saturday’s event, who said she relies on Sun Youth’s food bank every month to help feed her family.

Ulloa-Aguilar noted that volunteers are also key to making these programs run.

“We always need more volunteers who want to give a helping hand,” he said.

“It’s a big help for not only the kids and families we help, but also for the volunteers themselves. I’ve been [with Sun Youth] for a few years now, and I can honestly say the experience has changed me as a person.”

The growing demand has inspired other groups to expand their own back-to-school programs, including Montreal’s Good News Chapel, which will be giving away 1,000 backpacks filled with supplies later this month.

Youth pastor Nineb Mikhail said the registration link had been live for less than 12 hours when nearly 400 families had already signed up.

“We’ve seen an enormous response,” he said. “The economy’s been changing quite a bit, so people who were once able to afford all of this are suddenly finding it much harder.”

He stressed that the families seeking help now came from “all walks of life” and weren’t always facing financial distress. For many, it was simply a matter of prices rising faster than paycheques.

While both Sun Youth and Good News Chapel are able to help hundreds of families this year, organizers said more support from the public — in the form of donations, supplies or volunteer time — is crucial to meet the growing need.

For Ulloa-Aguilar, the mission was about more than just handing out pens and paper.

“When kids start school with the supplies they need, it gives them the confidence to succeed,” he said.