From backpacks to year-round support, local organizations are helping students succeed.

Summer is here, and for many children, the focus is on enjoying a break from homework and early mornings. For parents, however, the start of a new school year is never far away. As August approaches, so do the costs of backpacks, school supplies, clothing, and other necessities that help students begin the year ready to learn.

For families already facing financial challenges, those expenses can quickly become overwhelming. That’s where Ready for Success comes in.

Organized by the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County, Ready for Success brings together local nonprofits, businesses, and community members with a shared goal of helping students throughout Marion County begin the school year equipped for success.

According to Community Foundation CEO Lauren Deiorio, the initiative was created to connect community support with organizations already serving children and families throughout the county.

“The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County exists to enhance the quality of life in our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter,” Deiorio said.

This year’s selected nonprofit partners include Marion County Public Schools’ Families in Transition program, Marion County Children’s Alliance, Stuff the Bus, and The Rock Program.

While many people think of school supplies when preparing for the new school year, some students face much larger obstacles.

Marion County Public Schools’ Families in Transition program supports students and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The program serves students who may be living in temporary housing situations, shelters, motels or other unstable environments, ensuring they have access to transportation, educational support and resources needed to remain successful in school.

Through programs such as Mission: Bus Brigade — Supply Their Success, Families in Transition also provides school supplies, clothing, shoes, hygiene items and other essential resources to help students arrive prepared.

The Marion County Children’s Alliance focuses on improving the lives of Marion County children through collaboration, advocacy and community partnerships.

The organization serves as a voice for children throughout the community while supporting programs focused on youth mentorship, family violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, and resource coordination. By bringing agencies and organizations together around common goals, the alliance helps strengthen the network of support available to local children and families.

Among the Ready for Success partners is Stuff the Bus, a Marion County nonprofit that has spent the past 26 years ensuring local students have the supplies they need to succeed in the classroom.

Founded by the Kingdom of the Sun Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, Stuff the Bus has grown from providing a few dozen backpacks to delivering more than 1,200 fully loaded backpacks to Marion County students in 2025 alone.

Through its Community Giveback Program, a precursor to Ready for Success, Stuff the Bus distributed approximately 5,000 sets of school supplies in each of the last two years.

According to Colonel R. Craig Ham, PhD, U.S. Army (Ret.), president and CEO of Stuff the Bus, the organization works closely with school counselors to ensure supplies reach students facing the greatest need.

“Regrettably, we veterans rarely get to see the faces light up when a homeless child can go to the classroom fully equipped to participate in classroom activities,” Ham said.

Ham spends countless hours raising the funds needed to keep the program running.

Stuff the Bus operates entirely through volunteers, with no paid employees, allowing every dollar raised to go directly toward serving students.

In addition to coordinating the program, Ham personally helps raise funds throughout the year by collecting donated furniture and household goods remaining after estate sales and transporting them to local consignment stores.

“Last year I drove 4,000 miles in support of the program,” Ham said.

Many of those miles were spent making regular trips to The Villages to pick up donated items and deliver them to local consignment partners, generating the funding needed to sustain the organization’s work. According to Ham, it takes approximately $70,000 annually to maintain the level of service Stuff the Bus provides to Marion County students.

While organizations like Stuff the Bus focus on helping students start the school year prepared, other nonprofits work to ensure support continues long after the first day of class.

“Needs don’t stop once the school year starts,” said Troy Weaver, executive director of The Rock Program.

While many back-to-school initiatives focus on the beginning of the school year, The Rock Program addresses challenges that continue long after August.

Troy emphasized that student needs do not disappear once school begins. Through resource rooms located within local schools, students can access clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, food assistance, transportation support and other necessities throughout the year.

During a recent visit, one thing that stood out was the thoughtful way The Rock Program approaches the needs of students and families. Staff members don’t simply collect food and supplies; they consider the practical challenges many families face every day.

Inventory Coordinator Aaron Becerril pointed out that when stocking food items, the program often looks for products with easy-open packaging, such as pop-top cans. While it may seem like a small detail, it reflects an understanding that some families may not have access to basic kitchen tools like a can opener. It’s a simple example of how the program works to remove barriers that many people might never think about.

The same level of care is evident throughout the program’s resource rooms, which are thoughtfully organized and designed to create a welcoming environment where students can access support without feeling embarrassed or singled out.

Maintaining confidentiality is an important part of the program’s mission. Students should feel safe seeking help without fear of embarrassment or judgment. The goal is not to simply provide necessities, but to do so in a way that preserves a student’s dignity.

Ready for Success demonstrates what can happen when organizations with different strengths come together around a common goal. While each nonprofit serves students in a unique way, together they create a network of support that helps children enter the classroom with the resources they need to succeed.

Whether a student needs school supplies, stable housing support, mentorship opportunities, transportation assistance, clothing, hygiene products, or simply a safe place to turn, these organizations are working together to help students and families find the support they need.