JEFFERSON — Over the past 22 years, Ready Kids for School has supplied 14,625 Jefferson County youngsters with the supplies and backpacks they need to start off the academic year on the right foot.
Registration for recipients starts in July and the local charity is working hard to coordinate volunteers and donations as it ramps up for its big distribution Aug. 10.
Ready Kids for School, a registered 501©(3) organization, aims to assure that students of all ages, from all across the county, are able to start out the new school year prepared with all of the materials and supplies they’ll need to succeed, whatever their economic background.
This year, the distribution is moving to a new location, the Jefferson High School commons (cafeteria.) The school is located at 700 W. Milwaukee St., in Jefferson, and the commons is on the east side of the building, at the entrance right next to the big eagle sculpture.
Though preparation for the event covers much of the year, the distribution runs only for one day. This year it takes place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
At the distribution, children and their families will be able to choose their own supplies based on the lists created by their individual schools and classrooms.
While the number of needy families making use of the program over the years has risen and fallen, there has always been a need, said Maria Dabel, who serves as co-coordinator for
Ready Kids for School, along with Jill Johnson.
Dabel said Ready Kids for School has received wonderful support over the years from community members, businesses and organizations who want to help meet this need.
Dabel said that there are countless reasons why individual families might be struggling, but this year, inflation has been a big factor, so what money families do earn no longer covers all of their expenses.
“A lot of families are finding it hard to prioritize their most essential needs. Do they buy food? Medicine? Pay rent and the utility bills?” Dabel said, noting that school supplies are going to fall pretty low on that priority list, to say nothing of setting something aside for future needs.
Recipients come from every single city, every single town, and throughout the countryside, Dabel said.
About the programReady Kids for School is open to a child or teen in need who attends any Jefferson County school district as well as any homeschooler who resides within the county.
There are no specific income guidelines to qualify, just that a family be experiencing financial hardship.
This could mean a single parent struggling to cover costs for their children, a parent unemployed or disabled, a family swamped with medical expenses, or even two parents working but with limited incomes that don’t cover the necessities. Most are served by other government programs, such as free/reduced school lunch.
Once, the program worked through referrals from the county human services department or area churches, but not everyone has those connections. Coordinators found that the traditional approach kept people away who genuinely needed the help. Now, it is open to all who are in need, with no requirement to prove their income.
People are asked to register ahead of time so that Ready Kids for School can assure it will have enough of the needed supplies. However, it’s still possible to register on the day of distribution.
People can sign up through the Jefferson County Workforce Development Center, located at 874 Collins Rd, Jefferson, or through the Ready Kids for School Facebook page, which has a link to an online form.
Dabel noted that the organization always has an ample number of Spanish-speakers on site on the day of distribution to serve that population. The application is also available in both Spanish and English.
Ready Kids for School is supported through the generosity of local individuals, businesses and organizations. The organization prepares year-round for the August school supply distribution. When each year’s distribution is over, coordinators start anew writing grants and seeking donations for the next year’s event.
The charity is supported through donations of money and supplies from throughout the Jefferson County area, and volunteers assist on site on the day of distribution.
The nonprofit asks for a $2 donation per child if families can afford it, with a maximum change of $6 per family for those with five or more children. Any money that is raised this way goes right back into purchases for the next year’s distribution.
In addition to the main distribution, a couple of area churches have partnered with Ready Kids for School to collect additional items families might need, such as socks and, toiletries.
“We try to get the word out to all in need,” Dabel said, noting that as well as putting up notices on Facebook and in county offices, the program has posted applications in area laundromats to try to reach families that may be struggling.
Ready Kids for School will have classroom supply lists on site from all Jefferson County schools, organized by grade level.
Each participating student receives a new backpack plus all of the basic school supplies they need for class, which can include pencils, notebooks, composition books, erasers, highlighters, sticky notes, pens, folders, crayons, looseleaf paper, scissors, rulers and other items identified by the local schools.
The program does not generally give out hand sanitizer, calculators, candy or tissues.
One of the things that families like best about the program is that students get to select their own supplies based on what they need — they aren’t just handed a prepacked bag, but actually may select folders, notebooks and backpacks to suit their tastes.
Volunteers with the program say it’s really rewarding to be involved and to see firsthand how excited the children are about selecting new school supplies.
Every year, Ready Kids for School is also joined by other community resources which have information and giveaways at the distribution event. While the list is not yet complete for this year’s event, in the past these have included Jefferson County Literacy Council, Fort HealthCare, Jefferson County Head Start, the Jefferson Public Library, Community Action Coalition of Watertown, and more.
History“Before Ready Kids for School was started, Human Services representatives said that if needy students received any help at all, it came through a mishmash of sources,” Dabel said.
“In many cases, teachers or Human Services representatives dug into their own pockets to make sure young people had the pencils, paper, notebooks and other essentials they needed to start out the year right,” she said.
In 2002, Dabel said, the Jefferson County Human Services Department had seen a spate of families come in asking if they could get help to pay for school supplies.
“Then along comes Dave Mattoon, like an angel, to fulfill this need,” Dabel said.
At that time, Mattoon, a Jefferson resident, approached the human service department and Jefferson County’s Workforce Development Center asking if they’d like to help with a new charity project being coordinated by his church, Immanuel United Methodist of Jefferson.
He, then-pastor Nancy Carmichael and other congregation members were working to collect school supplies for needy students from the greater Jefferson area.
In its first year, Ready Kids for School served around 200 youngsters, all in the basement of the Jefferson church. The second year, it joined with other Methodist churches from around the county and did distributions from all of those locations.
Dabel said that although Mattoon passed away in 2020, the organization wants to keep his work and his legacy alive by continuing to fulfill that need in the local communities.
After its inception in Jefferson, Ready Kids for School spread to other area communities and soon it covered the whole county.
As the charity grew, it moved to the Jefferson County Fair Park and finally this year to Jefferson High School.
“We just thought the high school would be more accessible and people know where it is,” Dabel said.
Dabel, who has been involved since Ready Kids for School was founded, said that the charity would not exist without a dedicated community of volunteers and donors from throughout the county, who make it possible for children to start out the year confident and ready to learn.
“I grew up in one of those households where we didn’t have access to school supplies,” Dabel said. “And without those materials, it’s hard to keep up with your classmates. How can you learn?”
Dabel promised herself at an early age that if she was ever in a position to help, she would be a voice for the voiceless.
“We don’t want any child to be left behind,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about. The children are our future, and what better thing to do than to invest in their education and ability to learn?”
To registerFor families wishing to register their children for Ready Kids for School, registration will be open July 8 on Facebook and also through the Workforce Development Center in Jefferson. Registration officially closes Aug. 5 but people can still walk in and participate on the day of distribution without any penalty.
How to helpReady Kids for School welcomes donations year-round. Most needed are monetary donations, but the nonprofit also accepts targeted donations of backpacks and classroom supplies which are being requested by area schools this year.
Businesses can sign up to host their own donation drives, which some companies turn into fun contests.
Volunteers are needed to assist with set-up, the distribution itself and cleanup. Setup will start on the Thursday of distribution week with pallet loading. Then on Friday, volunteers will be needed at the high school to set up tables. Early Saturday morning, volunteers will unload the pallets and load the tables, and then when the event is done, they’ll help clean up, bubble wrap whatever’s left and prepare it for storage. It’s possible to volunteer for a long shift or just an hour or two.
To volunteer or with questions, people may contact Katie Schickowski by phone at 920-674-8119.
Monetary donations for Ready Kids for School are accepted year-round.
All donations are tax-deductible. Checks may be sent to:
Ready Kids For School
P.O. Box 43
Jefferson, WI 53549
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