Turning Leftover School Supplies into Lasting Impact!

March 6th, 2026 Newsletter

While visiting Honduras last year, we saw firsthand the significant need for school supplies across public schools. 

The Problem:

Teachers often lack even basic materials to distribute to their students, and many families cannot afford to provide the proper tools for learning. As a result, students begin the school year without the notebooks, pencils, and supplies they need to succeed.

The Other Problem:

At the very same time, as the school year ends in the United States, countless usable supplies are discarded. Students clean out desks and lockers, and notebooks with empty pages, gently used pencils, rulers, and crayons are thrown away — or sent home only to become clutter and eventually trash.

Many of these items are in excellent, usable condition — some are even brand new — yet they are treated as waste.

The Solution: What if these two problems could solve each other?

By collecting gently used school supplies at the end of the school year, we can redirect valuable resources and send them in bulk to Honduras, where teachers can distribute them directly to students who need them most.

An Even Better Solution:

What if your church could help bridge the gap while making connections with local schools?

Midwest Mission is inviting congregations to serve as local drop-off sites for our upcoming Used & New School Supply Drive. This simple partnership connects churches and schools in a meaningful way — transforming items that might otherwise be discarded into valuable tools for learning.

How It Works

Participating churches:

• Sign up to serve as an official drop-off site

• Share ready-made promotional materials with nearby schools

• Receive collected supplies from schools at the end of the year

• Deliver the donations to a Midwest Mission location, Permanent Collection Site, or Annual Conference Collection

There is no cost to participate, and all promotional materials are provided.

When the supplies arrive at Midwest Mission, volunteers will carefully sort every donation to ensure only quality items are sent. We believe that if we would not give something to a loved one, we should not send it to someone we are called to serve. Dignity matters.

These supplies will not be going into Midwest Mission Kits, but will be sent in bulk so teachers can distribute them to students as needed!

Midwest Mission will only put new items in any Kit that is sent. Used supplies are for this specific request from Honduras.

Why Participate?

Serving as a drop-off site gives your church the opportunity to:

• Build meaningful relationships with local schools

• Practice faithful stewardship by keeping usable supplies out of landfills

• Engage your congregation in hands-on mission (many churches choose to sort boxes together as a service project)

• Equip children in Honduras with the tools they need to learn and thrive

It is a simple way to show God’s love in a practical, tangible way — connecting generosity here with real need there.

If your church would like to participate or learn more, visit midwestmission.org/churchdropoff. We ask that you register your church as an official Drop-Off Site so area schools know it is available.

You can download a flyer to share with your church leaders here.

We would be honored to partner with you in turning leftover supplies into lasting impact!