Organizations are lending a hand to families as they prepare to send kids back to school amid inflation and rising costs in NWA. 

• Rising costs: Families sending kids back to elementary through high school are expecting to spend an average of $864 on school-related items this year, an increase of $15 from last year. 
• Rising up: Many programs in the region intend to help, like the Yvonne Richardson Center’s Adopt-A-Kid Campaign or Samaritan Community Center’s Backpacks for Kids program. Businesses, such as Highground Hair Space, are offering services to students like free haircuts and more. 

Check out the story by Ozarks At Large HERE.