United Way of Bucks County prepares children to go back to school.
Tools for School is our annual back-to-school supply drive. United Way of Bucks County wants to ensure that every student has the tools – and confidence – that they need to excel in the classroom.
**Registration for Tool for School is now closed. We are unable to take any additional requests at this time. Thank you for understanding. If you need assistance, please request an appointment for the HELP Center at www.uwbucks.org/helpcenterappt.**
HOW TO GET HELP
To be eligible for Tools for School, your child(ren) must be; in need, a resident of Bucks County, PA, and entering grades K-12.
**Please note that submitting an application DOES NOT guarantee that you will receive school supplies. We try our best to help as many people as possible, but we depend on community support. **
Please click below to learn more about registration requirements.
Please fill out the form completely and accurately. Be sure your contact information is current in case we need to contact you.
To pick up your school supplies, you will need to bring documentation to your scheduled pick-up. We are unable to provide you with school supplies without documentation — no exceptions.
To receive school supplies, you will need to bring:
- a valid photo ID showing the address you registered with (we will check this, but don’t need a copy),
- documentation of your child’s age and grade level. You may log in to your school districts online portal to show your child’s account. If you do not have a portal, you must show another document, i.e., school ID, report/progress card, email or letter from a guidance counselor, etc.,
- an “ACCESS” (food stamp or cash assistance) Card.
If you do not have an ACCESS card, any of the following will be acceptable:
- Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) card for your children.
- Copy of free or reduced lunch form for current school year.
- A brief letter from a school nurse, guidance counselor, or social worker stating that they know your family and you are in need of school supplies.
- A brief letter from the leader of your faith-based organization on their letterhead stating that they know your family and you are in need of school supplies.
- Letter of separation or reduced hours from employer.
******PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THESE ITEMS. ******
As we continue growing Tools for School, we want to share the process for requesting backpacks for the 2026-2027 school year. While the program continues to provide essential items to support students and families, backpack distributions will remain limited so we can prioritize students with the greatest need.
Each school district may request up to 50 backpacks to distribute at your discretion to students who may not have access to other resources.
When the request form is available, you will be able to submit your request here:
www.uwbucks.org/tools-for-school-get-help
To help us ensure resources reach students who need them most, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Please do not share the Tools for School request form broadly. It is intended for students and families with limited access to other school supply resources.
- Families experiencing ongoing material hardship may also be referred to the HELP Center, which provides essential goods for eligible households. Appointments can be requested at www.uwbucks.org/helpcenterappt.
- We encourage districts to continue connecting families with other community-based school supply programs and resources available in your area.
Thank you again for your partnership and for the important role you play in helping local students succeed. We’re grateful for your continued collaboration and look forward to supporting your schools this year.
If you are a school district representative, please fill out the form completely and accurately. Be sure your contact information is current in case we need to contact you.
**Note: This program is exclusively for families with a significant need. Please only request school supplies to fulfill your immediate needs.
Representatives from School Districts will be asked upon completion of this form to upload a list of recipients. Please list the following: child(ren’)s sex (m/f), age, race, and ethnicity. You will not need to provide their names.
Click here to download the template for your registration list (please only use this template). You can upload this directly to the form when you complete your registration below.
** School districts must compile ALL requests into one registration submission. Multiple submissions will not be accepted**
There will be a maximum request limit of 50 backpacks per district.
Please email katiem@uwbucks.org with questions.
Who is eligible for Tools for School? To be eligible, your child(ren) must be; in need, a resident of Bucks County, PA, and be entering grades K-12. The person making this request must be the primary caregiver (except if you are a school district representative making a request for your organization). Please do not apply if your child(ren) do not meet the above criteria.
How long will you accept requests for? We will accept requests as long as we believe we can meet them based on community donations.
How will I know if I am approved? Upon successful completion of this form, you will be sent a confirmation email to verify that your submission was received. Once all submissions are received and reviewed, you will be emailed an approval with pick-up instructions if your request can be filled.
How will I know if I haven’t been approved? You will receive an email explaining why your application was not approved.
I didn’t receive a confirmation email. Did you get my submission? If you did not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam/junk email folder. Please make sure to fill out all required fields designated by an asterisk (*).
Please also note, your request is successfully submitted when you are taken to the confirmation page stating, “Thanks for registering for Tools for School!”. If you are not taken to this screen, your request was not submitted. If you do not properly submit your request, we will not be able to process your application. Thank you for understanding.
Who do I contact if my child(ren) are not eligible? If you need help but your children do not qualify, please contact PA 211.
Who can I contact if I have other questions? If you have a question not addressed here, please email Katie Matarazzo at katiem@uwbucks.org.
Tools for School 2026 is presented by Univest Financial and is sponsored by; First National Bank & Trust of Newtown, Foundations Community Partnership, & Peoples Security Bank & Trust