Plainfield Kiwanis Supports Local Students in Need
School can be challenging, and the last thing any student needs is to worry about basic necessities. For Plainfield students, there is a dedicated group that has made it their mission to see that no child goes without. That group is the Plainfield Kiwanis Comfort Closet, and they’re stocking schools with critical supplies across Hendricks County.
Kiwanis operates worldwide, with more than 7,300 clubs in more than 70 countries. Their primary purpose is to help children throughout the world. Although the Indiana Kiwanis chapter does service projects to primarily help support Riley Hospital, the Plainfield Kiwanis chapter decided to keep a hyperlocal focus, in particular serving local-area students.
The group formed a committee late last year that focuses on gathering needed supplies for local schools. Currently, they support seven Plainfield schools and four Mill Creek Community schools. This committee is locally known as Plainfield Kiwanis Comfort Closet.
“We decided we’d like to stay local. We have a chairperson assigned to each school who serves as liaison between the school counselors and Kiwanis to inform us of any individual needs each school might have,” says Lori Lee, Kiwanis president.
To launch the program, Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse donated more than 200 winter coats, hats, gloves, tennis shoes and boots to be disseminated to students in need. Additionally, community member Nelda Keltner donated handmade knitted hats, and a new Plainfield business owner, John Hall, stepped up to help Plainfield Kiwanis obtain a storage unit to house the items until they could be delivered to schools.
Since then, Plainfield Kiwanis Comfort Closet has helped support schools by donating items such as toothbrushes, body wash, deodorant, clothing and school supplies.
“It’s completely up to each school to tell us what they need,” Lee says. “Sometimes they need storage bins, clothing racks or shelves to store items. We try to buy whatever’s on their list.”
One school even requested water bottles to make sure all students could have access to water throughout the day when they forget to bring one from home. Plainfield Kiwanis swung into action and provided a class full of brand-new water bottles.
Plainfield High School found such success that they have dedicated office space with available items that they’ve dubbed the Hopeful Threads Comfort Closet. Plainfield Kiwanis procured dressers, clothing racks, shoe storage, and hat and shoe racks to get their program up and running.
Kiwanis Plainfield was also recently awarded a grant by the Hendricks County Community Foundation in the amount of $5,000 to help them continue their work with Comfort Closet into 2026.
In addition to their work as Kiwanis Plainfield Comfort Closet, the group plans to award four scholarships this year to be used on college or trade schools in the amount of $1,500. The scholarships are generated by fundraising events organized by Plainfield Kiwanis. These events have included their annual Golf Fore the Kids outing, a scavenger hunt and a local bingo gathering.
“Many school principals have reached out to thank us for our assistance with their students, many of whom need these donated items on a regular basis,” Lee adds. “We plan to keep funding the project and expanding our impact within the community.”
Currently, Plainfield Kiwanis has 90 members as part of their philanthropic group, but they are always seeking more. If you have any interest in becoming a part of this local group, visit their website at plainfieldkiwanis.org.
