Kouts Elementary School Principal Patti Eich and Secretary Sheila Sutter accept backpacks that will support students in their school system.

For the third year in a row, our Pack a Backpack program set out to provide backpacks and supplies to local schoolchildren — and thanks to your generous donations, we were able to support more than 250 youngsters in eight area schools!

As in past years, we accepted donations of school supplies at the KVREMC office. This year, public libraries in Wanatah, Union Mills, LaCrosse, San Pierre and Kouts kindly joined in our effort, allowing non-members to participate, too. The response from the community was tremendous. We received enough supplies to fill more than 250 backpacks, which our staff delivered to eight schools in our service territory. The schools will distribute the backpacks and supplies to students who need them.

Back-to-school is one of the toughest times of year for many families’ finances. After all, most kids grow a lot over the summer, so last year’s school clothes may no longer fit. Families have to pay book rental and the other fees that crop up at the start of the year. There’s money for school lunches, money for supplies — it can be tough to make ends meet! Personnel at the schools tell us how excited the students are to receive the backpacks, and how appreciative their parents are for the kindness of those who made donations.

All of us at Kankakee Valley REMC are impressed by the generosity of our members. Whenever we ask you to help out your neighbors, such as by supporting community organizations and scholarships through our Operation Round Up program, we always receive an enthusiastic response. As a cooperative, we’re committed to supporting the neighbors we serve, and programs such as Pack a Backpack give everyone the opportunity to participate.

Thanks for helping us once again and thanks for everything you do to make our communities great places to call home.