In the city nearest us, as with many cities, there is an organization handing out "free" school supplies for the children. Although we homeschool, we have in the past been recipients of such programs, and we financially qualify this year as well. But then comes the fine print.

You see, in order to receive the school supplies, every child receiving supplies must show up in person. Their parents cannot collect the items for them. And they must attend a 20 to 30 minute presentation.

Now, the church that's running the school supply handout is a church that does a LOT of good work in the community. We've been to their food bank, where, to receive food, you must attend a service beforehand. And, actually, I have no problem with this; they're handing out the food, they have a right to be able to present the gospel. And the time spent in the service gives them time to prepare the sacks and handout the food quickly and efficiently. It's actually a nice setup.

No, the problem I have is this: we live 12 miles away and the extra trip home and back to pick up our five year old (who doesn't accompany us on the route) would further burden our already stretched to the limit gas budget. And it would require I reserve time off work to transport my children to the program, costing me a few hours on the paycheck (and isn't the reason most parents apply for such programs because they don't have enough money in the first place?). In the end, our best course is to NOT receive the program, and buy the school supplies ourselves.

Ironic, isn't it, when "free" school supplies cost too much for the recipients?