MASON CITY, Iowa. -Â Â According to the National Retail Federation, families with elementary children are projected to spend more money on back-to-school shopping this year than in the past fifteen years.
The federation is estimating families will spend nearly nine-hundred dollars on school supplies this year.  It's saying this number is primarily driven by the demand for more electronics on back-to-class shopping lists.
Another challenge families are facing is the rising prices of groceries. The most recent Consumer Price Index Report says grocery prices increased nearly five percent since June of 2022.
Mason city’s Salvation Army is hoping to help families afford school supplies by helping put on the city’s back-to-school block party. the organization will be handing out backpacks filled with school supplies to lessen the financial burden of buying school supplies places on families.
"Its hard when you might not have the money some families have. The kids don't want to look different or be different. They want to have what everyone else has," said Tracy Hedegard-Stump, Director of Mason City's Salvation Army Social Services.
Mason city’s Back-To-School Block Party is being held at the Community Health Center on Thursday from 5 to 8 PM.
