Toni knows what it’s like to worry about not having the right school supplies to start a brand-new school year.

As a child, she watched her mother, who couldn’t work due to medical issues, struggle to provide for her and her sister. Surrounded by classmates who always had the coolest backpacks and the latest technology, Toni’s concern grew as the first day of school got closer.

“It was a fearful feeling. It is not only the component of not getting the school supplies, but it is other kids having the gadgets and everything they needed to start school.”

Fortunately, she and her sister received the school supplies they needed from the Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program. Year after year, Toni received the supplies she needed.

Knowing she had something as simple as a notebook brought peace of mind, enabling her to focus on her studies and paving the way for her future success working in business intelligence for the Indiana Department of Transportation.

“Just knowing I would have a notebook to write in was an ease to my mind,” she said. “There would have been years that I didn’t have the school supplies if it weren’t for the distribution.”

Toni’s story is just one of many. Since she was in elementary school, tens of thousands of children have benefited from the program. More than 2,000 students received fully stocked backpacks this school year.

Now a successful adult, Toni volunteers at School Supply Assistance Program events, helping pack and distribute supplies to the next generation of students.

“I wanted to give back to something vitally important to me and my childhood.”

Today, Toni enjoys seeing the same gratitude on the faces of the students she helps—just as she felt years ago. Thanks to your support, you are making stories like hers possible for students in need.