Love Your Neighbor outfits 800-plus students for school with dignity

For kids in West Michigan, picking out a new backpack or outfit for the first day of school can be a joyful milestone. For hundreds of families struggling to make ends meet, it’s a financial burden they can’t afford.

That’s where Love Your Neighbor steps in.

Each year, the Hudsonville-based nonprofit hosts its Back-to-School Drive, helping more than 800 local students return to the classroom with the supplies and confidence they need to succeed. The drive addresses a growing need in the community, where 37% of families live at or below the poverty line.

Each year, the Hudsonville nonprofit equips over 800 students with school supplies and confidence for a strong start.

Thanks to the support of community partners like Gerrit’s Appliance, Honor Credit Union, and local churches and businesses, Love Your Neighbor offers practical resources and emotional support to families under stress.

The event features two drives:

• The Backpack and School Supply Drive invites the public to donate new backpacks and school supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils, and markers through collection sites hosted by area churches and businesses. Items can also be dropped off directly at Love Your Neighbor.
   
• The Clothing Drive is tailored for children in Love Your Neighbor’s Life Skills Program, which provides long-term support to help families move out of survival mode. This year, a local church has committed to providing new clothing for nearly 50% of the participating children, and the rest will be supported by other donations.

“What makes this event stand out is that kids and families don’t just receive supplies — they get to choose items they feel proud to wear, restoring dignity through the power of choice,” says Executive Director Jodi Cole Meyer.

The drive collects new backpacks and supplies at local churches, businesses, and Love Your Neighbor, inviting public donations.

The Back to School Drive is a reflection of the organization’s broader mission: to offer not just aid, but opportunity and community for families in need.

New backpacks, school supplies, or clothing (new with tags) can be dropped off at Love Your Neighbor’s campus, 3300 Van Buren St. in Hudsonville. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Love Your Neighbor