Aug. 22, 2025
By John Bailey
When is a pencil box more than a pencil box?
When you don’t have a pencil box.
According to 2025 data from the NC Department of Public Instruction, all three public school districts in Catawba County have more than 50% of their students classified as economically disadvantaged. https://www.dpi.nc.gov/data-reports/economically-disadvantaged
Which means the start of a new school year adds greater stress to many local families already struggling financially.
Because of this, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) hosts its annual School Supply Drive to help teachers and families meet the needs of local students.
“It’s hard when you only have $1,200 a month and rent is $750 a month and basically you have to make ends meet the best way you can,” Donna said when she stopped by the Catawba County United Way office to pick up school supplies for her sister’s children. “They do pretty good until school starts and then they struggle getting clothes, which have gotten outrageous, so she just needed a little bit of help.”
This year, with 40 collection sites, the CCUW received nearly 11,000 individual donations. The bulk of these items were distributed directly to all three public school systems – Catawba County, Hickory City and Newton-Conover City. A family can access supplies by reaching out directly to their child’s school.
The CCUW’s drive is focused on gathering as much as possible to help stock the districts with enough classroom supplies to carry schools through the first couple of months of the new year.
"It's just nice to know we have support from the community. Sometimes we don't have all the answers and all the materials, so it's nice to have this back-up for our kids," Conover School teacher Maribel Bouchard said during Newton-Conover’s Back to School Bash.
This year the drive focused on both typical classroom supplies along with personal hygiene items.
During a special luncheon in June to kick off the drive, representatives from all three local school districts agreed that sometimes what families need help with goes beyond just school supplies. Sometimes it’s shoes or a jacket or a toothbrush, which is why the CCUW opens its drive to more than just bookbags and pencils.
The Catawba County United Way wants to send a special THANK YOU to its 2025 School Supply Drive collection partners, without whom this outreach would not be possible.
Those partners include:
Smurfit West Rock, Peoples Bank – Newton, Peoples Bank – Claremont, St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Ashure Ministry, Hickory Community Yoga and Wellness, Catawba Co. Department of Social Services, Catawba Valley Healthcare, Shurtape, Patrick, Harper & Dixon Law, Partnership for Children, Corning, Century Furniture, Carolina Containers, CountrySide Pet Hospital, Catawba Valley Insurance Agency, Adult Life Programs, Pepsi, Hickory Chair, ZF Chassis, Publix – Hickory, Newton Elks Lodge, Prysmian, Trinity Ridge, Malorie’s Place, Catawba Women’s Center, Tommy's Express Car Wash, Senior TLC, HSM Solutions and Culvers – Hickory.
The CCUW also thanks all the volunteers who came out to help sort, count and organize the donations for the school districts.
To learn more about the United Way’s School Supply Drive or how you can still help visit - https://www.ccunitedway.com/catawba-county-united-way-school-supply-drive or call John at the CCUW – 828-327-6851.