Grace Cathedral

God is acting through us, as we open our hearts to help ease the financial burden of many families. 
Give School Supplies Via Amazon Wishlist.

Growing up in San Francisco, we couldn’t wait for that last bell to ring at the end of the school year to release us for Summer! So much to do in our beautiful city. Playing hide and seek in Huntington Park, catching guppies at Stow Lake, visiting our neighborhood library, and collecting sand dollars along the shore at Ocean Beach. We didn’t know about Karl the Fog or June Gloom. This was summer, and living was easy!  

Summertime passed quickly, and the “Back to School” advertisements marked the end of summer. Back then, it was primarily advertisements for clothing because school supplies were always provided in the classrooms on the first day of school.  

Schools can no longer provide school supplies for the year. This gradual shift started in the 90s and today, parents are provided with a long shopping list. Parents were expected to spend on average, $661 per child in grades K-12 on back-to-school purchases – according to a 2022 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey of 1,200 U.S. parents.  

This year, back-to-school items are priced, on average, 15% higher than a year ago, according to retail analytics firm DataWeave. Among the supplies that have seen a price bump, per the firm: 

• Backpack prices are up nearly 12%. 
• Lunch boxes have risen by 14%. 
• Notebooks and folders, up 31%. 

“It is easy to overlook the families who cannot purchase nice backpacks loaded with school supplies.” reminds The Ven. Canon Nina Pickerrell, Owner and Executive Director of Bayview Mission. 

“The Community Preschool at Grace Cathedral serves a diverse population of families with limited access to resources. The Community Preschool aims to set every child up for success. We will be celebrating the graduation of nine of our students in the Fall. These school supplies will allow families one less worry as they prepare their graduating child for kindergarten, and your support will ensure their ongoing success.”  Loren Smith, Director of The Community Preschool.  

Working closely with Nina and Loren, we created an Amazon wishlist of specific items. One hundred fifteen bags are achievable, but we need your help. Please do one or more of the below if you are so moved.  We aim to receive the items at Grace by Monday, August 7 (order by August 3), to get items to Bayview before the start of school.  

1. Click this link to purchase the requested supplies from the wish list.  When you get to the checkout, choose “Steph McNally Gift Request” as the shipping address, and items will be delivered directly to Grace. If possible, use PRIME shipping to expedite delivery.   

2.  Write one or more of the personalized notes that will accompany each bag.  We plan a card-writing day at the cathedral on Sunday, July 23, after the 11 am service. Don’t hesitate to contact Stephm@gracecathedral.org if you want to write some cards but cannot join us on July 23.  

3. Join us on August 13 for packing and pizza after the 11 am service.  

4. Help us deliver and distribute the backpacks to the Bay View Center on Monday, August 14. Contact Stephm@gracecathedral.org for more information.  

5. Share details of the drive and the Amazon link with friends, colleagues, family, classmates, etc., by email and/or through social media.  Many items are low-cost, and all are needed. So even if a person can only purchase one or two, it will greatly help. 

Most of all, THANK YOU!