Press Release 7/29/22

PERTH AMBOY – In what has quickly become a tradition in the city, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-19thDist.) is putting the final touches on her fifth-annual school supply drive for students, scheduled for August 18 on the Raritan Bay waterfront.

Besides providing school supplies for up to 300 students, the event has evolved into a free, community-wide festival. There is music, face painting, information booths from local social services agencies and – most popular – tickets for free ice cream at the nearby Bayside Creamery, 273 Front St.

The Assemblywoman is urging all residents to stop by the back-to-school event, scheduled for 3-5:30 p.m. She noted there will also be a mobile COVID response unit on-site from 2-6 p.m., providing free vaccinations and boosters courtesy of the State of New Jersey Department of Health, Rapid Mobile Response Team. 

“My back-to-school drive is always a nice time for everyone to get together on our beautiful waterfront and celebrate the summer,” Lopez said. “We love the opportunity to hand out all the school supplies and do our part to ensure students are ready for the upcoming school year. I could not be more grateful to the many donors who support the drive, year after year.”

Lopez has also been a strong supporter of the state’s back-to-school sales tax holiday, which she supported for inclusion in the fiscal ’23 budget.

The sales tax holiday, will take place from Aug. 27 to Sept. 5, with tax exempt supplies and equipment including: (1) school supplies, such as pens and pencils, notebooks, and binders; (2) school art supplies, such as paints and paintbrushes, clay, and glazes; (3) school instructional materials, such as reference books, reference maps, globes, textbooks, and workbooks; (4) computers; and (5) school computer supplies, such as computer storage equipment, printers, and personal digital assistants.

“Between school and art supplies, new electronics like a laptop or tablet, and sports equipment, getting kids prepared for the new academic year can weigh on a family’s wallet in a big way,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19th Dist.) 

“Our back-to-school sales tax holiday lowers the price tag of school items for the up to two million New Jersey families with children in a K-12 school, for our teachers, and for our college students,” he added.

Lopez agreed that preparing for a new school year is a stressful time for New Jersey families, mentally, and economically.

“By implementing this sales-tax holiday in the weeks before the first bell rings, we will be offering families a measure of relief from those stresses, by helping them to fill their kids’ back-to-school lists without breaking their household budgets,” she said. “I’m glad we have the opportunity to help.”