For some East Meadow students, heading back to school this year will mean more than a new backpack. It will mean starting the year with the supplies they need, and knowing the community is behind them.
The Kiwanis Club of East Meadow delivered backpacks and school supplies to the East Meadow school district on Aug. 26 as part of its seventh annual Pack a Backpack drive, an effort fueled by donations from local residents, businesses and community organizations.
Jennifer Reinhardt, a past club president and a current board member who helped create the fundraiser, said that residents’ response remains one of the most meaningful parts of the drive. “We are always so touched by the outpouring from our community, especially the partners that we work with,” Reinhardt said.
Among the drive’s longtime supporters are the New York Islanders and the East Meadow Fire Department, while Club Pilates and Coldwell Banker American Homes, businesses in the hamlet, also host collection boxes where community members can donate supplies.
The Islanders contributed items including books, folders, marble notebooks and crayons. The Fire Department donated pencil cases filled with pencils, rulers and erasers, along with fire-prevention literature. Coldwell Banker American Homes also supplied lunch bags.
“It’s an absolute collaborative effort,” Reinhardt said. “Without the support from everyone and all the support we receive, I don’t think we would be able to do it.”
The Kiwanis Club receives school supply wish lists from the district, which it shares with members and residents. Reinhardt added that the club had also received anonymous donations from people who saw the drive advertised online.
Club President Donna Goldstein, who also serves as a library secretary at Barnum Woods Elementary School, said that the response from the community has been particularly meaningful this year, noting that she has received more calls and emails than in previous years from people asking how they can receive supplies.
“I’m the president, but I happen to work in this district,” Goldstein said. “To me it is wonderful to see the kids all happy, not worried about these things.”
Rather than simply giving children backpacks, the Kiwanis Club gives the district’s social workers supplies to distribute throughout the school year.
Goldstein said the goal is to make sure children have the tools they need to begin the school year fully prepared. “We’re here for you. We hear you,” she said. “We’re wishing them a great school year.”
For Diane Krug, a past Kiwanis president, the impact of the drive is especially visible when students receive their supplies. “It’s enough to make you cry,” Krug said of seeing students light up when they receive the donations.
And that, club members say, is what the annual drive is ultimately about: making sure every student has the chance to return to school with the supplies they need and a smile on their face.
