What if something as simple as a backpack could change the trajectory of a child's school year?
For thousands of families across the Midlands, the start of a new school year brings more than excitement-it brings difficult financial decisions. More than 9,000 students attend the 17 Title I schools served through United Way of the Midlands' Midlands Reading Consortium. In these schools, between 30% and 85%+ of students are considered economically disadvantaged, and many families are forced to stretch already limited budgets to cover essentials like housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and childcare. School supplies can quickly become one more expense that feels out of reach.
Teachers often step in to fill the gap. According to the 2024-2025 AdoptAClassroom.org National Teacher Survey, teachers spent an average of $895 of their own money on classroom supplies this year-a 49% increase since 2015. Nearly one in five teachers works a second job, and 97% report that school budgets do not provide enough supplies to meet classroom needs. Yet teachers continue to invest because they believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed.
But there is hope.
That's why United Way of the Midlands created Ready, Set, Supply-a community-wide effort to ensure students start the school year with the tools they need to learn, grow, and succeed.
Ready, Set, Supply is about much more than notebooks, pencils, and backpacks. It's about removing barriers so children can focus on learning. It's about supporting teachers who give so much of themselves every day. And it's about investing in the future of our community.
For more than 100 years, United Way of the Midlands has brought people together to solve our community's toughest challenges. We are deeply rooted in this community, but focused on its future.
United Way convenes businesses, nonprofits, schools, government agencies, volunteers, donors, and community leaders to work toward shared goals and lasting change. We believe every child should have the opportunity to succeed, every family should have the opportunity to achieve stability, and every community should have the resources to thrive.
But solving complex challenges requires more than programs-it requires people.
Ready, Set, Supply is one way our community comes together to create lasting change. Every backpack, notebook, pencil, and pair of headphones helps a student start the school year prepared to learn while easing the burden on teachers and families. Every volunteer and donor becomes part of something bigger.
Through United Way, these investments help address immediate needs while also supporting broader efforts that strengthen our community-from literacy and STEM education to housing stability, access to healthcare, and other critical services. Together with our partners, volunteers, and donors, we help move individuals and families from cycles of crisis to pathways of opportunity and generational success.
How It Works
Sign up to collect supplies at your organization or business.
Collect supplies: June 15 - July 24
Drop off supplies at United Way: July 20 - July 24
1818 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Volunteer to Sort & Pack Supplies: July 23 - July 25
School Deliveries: July 27 - July 28
Can't participate in a supply drive? Make a financial gift instead.
Join the Movement
You can help ensure local students have the tools they need to succeed this school year.
Host a Supply Drive
Mobilize your workplace, faith community, civic group, neighborhood, or organization to collect the school supplies students need most.
Make a Financial Gift
Your donation helps United Way purchase critical supplies, fill gaps where needs are greatest, and support the broader work of helping children and families thrive.
Volunteer
Help sort and pack supplies before they are delivered to local schools.
Together, we can ensure students have the tools they need to succeed today while investing in the systems of support that create brighter futures for generations to come. Join Ready, Set, Supply by collecting supplies, volunteering, or making a gift-and help create lasting change for children and families across the Midlands.
