Supplies 4 Success Program Provides Students Backbacks, School Supplies

Glenwood Kiwanis Club members gathered at the Harvey T. Rimel American Legion post last Wednesday to fill and distribute 84 backpacks as part of the service organization’s annual Supplies 4 Success project.

Each backpack is filled with customized, age-appropriate supplies school children will need to complete their classroom assignments and projects in the 2024-25 academic year, which begins this week for most students in Mills County. The supplies range from pencils and markers to scissors and glue.

“We fill the backpacks with the supplies that are requested by the teachers,” said Kiwanis spokesperson Michelle Wright. “The teachers provide a list of specific items that will be needed in their classroom.”

The Supplies 4 Success Program is open to Pre-K through 5th-grade students in both the Glenwood and East Mills Community School Districts. This year, 75 backpacks were given to Glenwood students and nine were given to East Mills.

Since Supplies 4 Success was initiated eight years ago, more than 500 Mills County children have received complimentary backpacks and school supplies. The mission of Kiwanis is to support children and the project fits the mission and supports the Kiwanis International Kids Need Children initiative, Wright noted last year.

FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha) and First Interstate Bank helped provide funding for Supplies 4 Success in 2024.