Program connects community with students in need

Kalispell Public Schools is now one of 18 districts in Montana served by My Student in Need. 

The nonprofit follows a simple premise: School staff such as a teacher, administrator or counselor submit student needs online for community members to help fulfill anonymously.

Based in Great Falls, My Student in Need is an offshoot of the organization My Neighbor in Need.

“Lots of people are willing to give if they knew who to give it to,” My Student in Need Executive Director Kim Wombolt said. “This isn’t money going to an organization. This is directly helping a kid with a specific need.”

Items that may be requested run the gamut from bedding, clothing, shoes, bus passes, bicycles, musical instruments, school supplies, hygiene items, sports equipment and camp or sports fees. The majority of items are fulfilled through gift cards, but physical items are accepted.

Nicole Hyer of The HEART Locker and a homeless education liaison for Kalispell and Evergreen schools will serve as the point of contact to assist with donations in Kalispell. The HEART Locker, which opened in April 2014, also assist students in need of clothing, socks, shoes, undergarments, hygiene products, bedding and school supplies.

The donation process for My Student in Need starts with the click of a button online. Donors can search for a community and school, then a specific need to fulfill.

“Everyone remains anonymous,” Wombolt adds.

The organization, which launched in 2013, has met about 1,570 needs.

For more information, to request a need, or to donate visit www.mystudentinneed.org, call 750-2542 or email info@mystudentinneed.org.