School uniform donation point set up by Anthony Joshua's Watford not-for-profit
It's as families are expected to feel the pinch again with the start of the new school term
As the new school year begins, many parents in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are finding it increasingly difficult to afford back-to-school supplies.
Latest research commissioned by Creditspring found nearly 40% of parents unsure how they will cover these essential expenses, with the financial strain after the summer holiday period pushing more into debt.
Charities and non-for-profit have been doubling their efforts all summer to prepare for an increase in demand for support.
At Clean Herts Community in Watford, an organisation set up by boxer Anthony Joshua, a donation point has been set up for parents to collect items of need.
Charlotte Saunders, project manager at Clean Herts Community, said: "School uniform costs so much, and we need to support families around this time."
"The cost of living crisis is very much amongst us still, and especially for those that are living in poverty at the moment."
The pop-up shop is part of a two-pronged approach to alleviate these financial burdens.
The first branch of the project involves creating hampers filled with essential items for school, which have been distributed to families identified by local organizations such as Citizens Advice Bureau and Home-Start.
Ms Saunders said: "I had my first year of having my child go to school last year and I definitely saw the effects it had on my bank account."
"We need to support families around this time."
"Under Armour, which is one of Anthony's sponsors, have given the children socks, shorts, rucksacks bags, trainers as they can all have something really fun and nice to open when they open them hampers."
"But we also have school trousers, shirts, underwear, sanitary towels, deodorants, anything you can kind of think of that they might need."
The research further reveals that 39% of parents plan to rely on credit products to cover the cost of school supplies.
A third of parents (33%) are dipping into their savings to afford items like uniforms and stationery.
Additionally, 48% are cutting back on other essential spending to ensure they can cover the costs.
Ms Saunders said: "We really do believe that if we change that stigma around help and support and community and charity, everyone can live a little bit more peacefully alongside each other."
"The community just always pulls through. We've seen people that we've helped in the past that are now donating, and it's a really great 360, and the same for the volunteers, we have people that come in and volunteer that we've supported."
The pop-up shop will be open 11am-2pm today at Watford Rugby Club.