The Cost Of School Supplies: KWQC Goes Shopping - KWQC-TV6 News and Weather For The Quad Cities -

It's almost back-to-school time. In fact, some Quad City schools will be back in session later this week. That's why a school supply drive is in its final stretch.

Stores are offering some pretty good deals to get you in the door, but by the time you fill your cart, your wallet could feel thinner, especially if you have more than one child in school. That's what Eyreka Barns is finding out.

"If you look at the kindergarten list versus the 5th grade list, it gets pretty big. Pretty expensive. And the way kids use the stuff, you can't really reuse it. It just doesn't last very long."

To find out just how much it costs, we followed the school supply list for a 5th grader in the Bettendorf School District to see what it would cost to meet the requirements. Some of the most expensive items were dry erase markers at $3.47 and a $13.00 backpack.

But there's also paper, notebooks, folders; crayons, colored pencils and pens; a ruler, scissors and paint and a box to put them all in. Once we got to the check out, it came to $47 dollars and 27 cents, with tax. Not everyone can afford that--at least not all at once.

That's where the First Day Fund comes in. Over the years, schools have given donated school supplies to the kids who need them. In the Davenport School District, more than half the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, which is used to determine that need. And the need is greater.

"Last year, we were down about 30 percent in contributions and while we made up a little of that as the year wore on, with donations, it really wasn't enough to cover the need," said Dawn Saul with Davenport Community Schools.

It's not just Davenport kids, 27 percent of the students in the Bettendorf School district qualify for help and 9 percent in Pleasant Valley schools. Drives in the Illinois Quad Cities were held last month, and this weekend is the final push for participating Iowa school districts. It's easy to donate, just shop and on Saturday, leave the supplies at you mailbox.

"It's more work, but our carriers take a sense of pride in helping the community and helping kids. they don't mind," said Davenport Postmaster, Anthony Harris.

But according to school officials, kids don't like coming to class unprepared.

"It hurts their confidence, they don't relax. They're worried because they don't have what they need to do their job," Saul added.

The First Day fund is a good way for everyone to help kids get off to a good start. There are several cities in Iowa participating in Saturday's mailbox drop off and you can still give monetary donations. See details below: