Brandi Clark is heading out this weekend to pick up back-to-school items for her two sons and she knows it will cost the family more this year than usual.

“Not everything’s affordable, even for me and we make good money,” Clark said Wednesday as she volunteered to stuff backpacks full of school supplies for needy students.

Clark, who works at Dirigo Federal Credit Union, was one of about a dozen volunteers who put notebooks, pencils, tissues and other items into about 1,500 backpacks this week as part of the United Way of Androscoggin County’s efforts to meet the needs of students in Androscoggin and Oxford counties.

With school set to start across Maine in the coming weeks, parents are facing higher prices at the store for almost everything. More than one-third of consumers said they would cut back on spending in other areas to cover the cost of back-to-school items, according to a July survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

“Families consider back-to-school and college items as an essential category, and they are taking whatever steps they can, including cutting back on discretionary spending, shopping sales and buying store or off-brand items, in order to purchase what they need for the upcoming school year,” Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO, said in a press release.

It's anticipated that back-to-school spending will total $37 billion across the country, matching a record set last year, according to the retail federation. Families with children in elementary through high school will spend an average of $864 on school items, the federation said.

This week, volunteers from Lee Auto Malls, TD Bank, Maine Community Bank, Dirigo Federal and the local Rotary Club circled a conference room table loaded with supplies, packing small backpacks for younger children and larger ones for high schoolers.

Jenna Pederson, marketing coordinator for the United Way of Androscoggin County, said the United Way partners with local schools that identify needy students to receive the backpacks.

“We know that poverty in this area is a major issue for the students,” Pederson said. “For some students, back to school is an exciting time but that isn’t true for everyone in our service area.”

DataWeave, which tracks consumer prices, found that typical school supplies such as notebooks, pencils, pens and backpacks will cost 15% more this year. That doesn’t include clothes and sneakers, something Clark is worried about buying for her fast-growing 9-year-old, she said.

For other needs during the school year, Pederson encourages parents to call 2-1-1, a statewide helpline that’s available 24/7. Although the United Way offers many community services throughout the year, the backpack initiative is one of their major annual efforts.

“Going back to school is supposed to be an exciting time for students, filling them with anticipation, confidence and motivation,” Joleen Bedard, executive director of the United Way of Androscoggin County. “With the increased cost of living and inflation, it might make it more challenging for families to purchase back to school items.”

The youngest volunteer on Wednesday, Samson Brooks, 12, attends Renaissance School in Auburn. He said his mom asked him to help fill the backpacks, a job he embraced with speed and efficiency as he quickly circled the table, grabbed the supplies, zipped the bags shut and delivered them to the cubicle where they will later be distributed to students. He said he was glad to help others.

“The poor families can save their money and buy food and stuff,” Samson said.