ST. LOUIS – It’s almost back-to-school time for thousands of kids in the area, and on Friday, a local non-profit is doing its part to make sure kids in need get the school year started off the right way.
KidSmart, a local non-profit group focused on helping kids in need succeed in school through providing them free learning tools, is hosting a major school supplies distribution event outside Busch Stadium. The group is giving away $1 million worth of school supplies on Friday in what amounts to a drive-through assembly line of sorts down Clark Avenue between Busch and Ballpark Village.
1,000 pre-registered teachers from 17 different St. Louis area school districts are having backpacks filled with supplies put into their cars. Then they are having boxes of other supplies put into their cars as well. The teachers will then take the supplies and distribute them to their students free of charge.
KidSmart donates school supplies throughout the year, but they say this is their single biggest donation day of the year. Organizers shared that they receive financial donations of all kinds to do this annual program.
We’re told the donations come from both individuals and large corporations.
KidSmart officials also said that there are enough kids in need in our area to basically fill Busch Stadium twice. That’s why they say programs like Friday’s are so important to help the most vulnerable kids start off the school year with the tools they need to succeed.
