Community Partners Donate Thousands of School Supplies for Ritenour Students

The Ritenour School District is grateful for local businesses, churches and organizations that donated thousands of school supplies to help ensure a strong start to the 2025-2026 school year for students.

Ritenour Superintendent Dr. Chris Kilbride said he’s deeply grateful for the generosity of community partners who chose to keep Ritenour students at the forefront of their efforts. 

“These generous contributions embody our 2025-2026 theme of Harmonize—a call to build trust, strengthen connections, and work together to improve student success,” said Dr. Kilbride.  “Each donation is more than a gift of supplies; it is a note in the greater harmony of our community, reminding us that it truly takes all of us to reach and teach Every Student, Every Day.”

Backpacks, school supplies, personal hygiene items and other important items were donated to the district in August. School counselors and social workers ensure that students who need the supplies receive them throughout the school year. 

• For the fourth consecutive year, SSM Health DePaul Hospital staff collected thousands of school supplies and other items for Ritenour students to use this school year. This year, they handed out their donations at Ritenour’s first Back-to-School Resource Fair to students on Aug. 9 at Ritenour High School. 

   

• The Ritenour High School class of 2005 donated school supplies that were given out to students at the Back-to-School Resource Fair on Aug. 9. The supply drive was organized by Chantel Casey from the RHS class of 2005. 

   

• Employees from Maritz, based in Fenton, Mo., ran a successful school supply drive in late July and early August. They teamed up with representatives from Teach for America, who delivered a heavy load of supplies on Aug. 15 to both Hoech and Ritenour middle schools. 

   

• Avantor St. Louis (also known as Reliable Biopharmaceutical) staff members delivered 300 backpacks stuffed with supplies as well as boxes of more than 1,000 pencils to the Husky Support Center on Aug. 18.

   

• Three area churches -- Harmony Church, Faith Church and Overland Church of Christ donated a significant amount of school supplies and backpacks to Marion, Marvin and Wyland elementary schools.
• The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) donated supplies to Marion and Marvin elementary schools.
• Red Key Realty (Jamie Perkins) donated school supplies to Marvin Elementary.