'Back to School' initiative provides backpacks and school supplies to local youths.
-
Image
Local Kiwanis members, school staff and elected officials assisting with packing. -
Image
Backpacks included grade-specific supplies along with information on MU Extension and 4-H resources.
CARROLL COUNTY, Mo. – In a show of community spirit, the Carroll County MU Extension Council’s annual Back to School initiative provided backpacks and supplies to local youths, supporting families as students prepared for the new school year. In recognition of its work over multiple years, the council was named the 2025 Northwest Region County Council of the Year by MU Extension, an honor recognizing exceptional local engagement.
Throughout June and July 2025, extension council members partnered with schools, businesses and volunteers to organize and distribute 143 backpacks to 62 families. One participant said, “As a retired grandmother raising two grandsons, I can’t afford everything they need. This program covers basics and provides a backpack, leaving more in my budget for clothes and shoes.”
Volunteers – including extension staff, local school and service organization members, and council members – gathered donations, assembled backpacks and coordinated distribution, ensuring children received not just supplies but also encouragement. This initiative builds on the council’s history of community service; in 2024, the council distributed 96 backpacks to 60 families.
Sponsorships for 2025, as of Aug. 21, included Home Savings and Loan Association of Carroll County, Burrell Behavioral Health, Bank 21, Carroll County Farm Bureau, Carroll County MU Alumni, Show-Me Ethanol, First Baptist Church of Carrollton, Jacob Smith Properties, David & Peggy Swearingin, United Church of Tina, Mack Molloy American Family Insurance, Carroll County Memorial Hospital, Jackson Farm, Virginia Street Baptist Church, Sharon Gibson, Kaiser Farms Inc., Trish Sullivan, and Carroll County Trust Co.