Page 119 - 2018 B2SI Recap Binder
P. 119

PEORIA - Back 2 School Illinois (B2SI) and Operation Homefront will distribute hundreds of free school supply kits to underserved students from military families from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the 182 Airlift Wing in Peoria, as part of the educational non-profit’s distribution program.
B2SI’s initiative provides essential supplies and resources to children of active and reserve members of all branches of the U.S. armed forces, in an effort to meet the educational needs of those students.
B2SI runs the largest free school supplies program in the state and partners with community organizations, including Operation Homefront (since 2013) and the USO, to facilitate distribution events that deliver the materials directly to the children they serve.
WMBD-TV/WYZZ-TV: 8/5/18
Operation Homefront is bringing school supplies to local military families
Posted: Aug 05, 2018 06:03 PM CDT
Sha00:21
PEORIA, Ill - One of the largest free school supplies programs in Illinois is setting up children from low-income families for success.
Thousands of school supplies, for hundreds of families.
Kim crouch says, "This is called the back to school brigade."
From Kleenexes to crayons, these "Back 2 School Kits" are filled with the basic tools kids need to be successful in the classroom, and are provided by the "Back 2 School Illinois," who has provided more than 200,000 children with their own kits since it's started.
Crouch says, "We received 250 kits to share with all of our military families in the local area."
In addition to the kits they received, some members from the community bought extra supplies not included in the kit to help ease the financial burden of back to school shopping for local military families.
Sharon Ramos is a military mom. She says, "This is a big help for us because it's money that I really don't have at the moment and it's something that they need you know. It's not something that I just want to get just to get it. It really really helps a lot.."
Lucas Siemers is in the Army National Guard. He says, "Especially with them being younger they need like the crayons, highlighters markers."
The community coming together to help those who have given so much to for them.
Siemers says, "It takes less of the stress, a lot of the stress away of making sure that we have the supplies for them."


































































































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