New program helps Whitefish students in need

For students in need, oftentimes pride can be the biggest obstacle to asking for help.

My Student in Need, a nonprofit based in Great Falls, aims to eliminate that by creating anonymity for both the donor and recipient.

Whitefish School District, which implemented the program in March, has already seen how quickly a community can work to fulfill a need. After publishing two notices in the Pilot both for high school students requiring business attire for a Jobs for Montana Graduates conference, the district found that the needs were filled within four days.

“I was so ecstatic,” Jackie Fuller, assistant principal of Whitefish High School said. “It was just one email, and a week later we’ve got everything we need for our kids — new suitcoats, new everything — to go do what they need to do for their program.”

The program was started in 2013 by Dave Snuggs, who was running a similar program called My Neighbor in Need. People involved in My Neighbor in Need loved it, but wished there was a good way to extend that helping hand to students.

While adults with homes and families were more open to asking for help, Snuggs said he realized it’s harder to hear about needs from young students.

“You can’t call a 15-year-old and they’ll say, ‘hey I need some shoes.’ It doesn’t work like that,” he said.

When teachers notice a need, like a winter jacket or dress clothes for a job interview, they report it to the school’s liaison, who submits an anonymous request to My Student in Need. A notice goes up online and in the local newspaper, and within days the request is often filled and the teacher and student receive a package containing whatever was requested.

The notices include details like clothing size and color, and the program accepts either physical donations or cash donations to fulfill the needs.

Since starting four years ago, the program has consistently added 30 to 40 schools a year. Currently, 160 schools in Montana work with the program, and more than 2,100 needs have been fulfilled.

For those who want to help, it’s a way to stay under the radar while knowing they had a direct impact on a student, Snuggs said.

“The person in need and the person that helps never meet. It’s anonymous helping,” he said. “Usually it’s like an online auction of good deeds. It’s posted online and followed up with a story, and usually the same day it comes out we’re getting calls. It’s amazing how it works.”

In addition, the way the program is set up eliminates the hardest part of getting help.

“The most important thing I want people to understand is both these programs eliminate pride,” Snuggs said. “Pride destroys people lives. Don’t be afraid to ask. You can keep your pride.”

Fuller looked into the program after hearing about it from Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt, who had previous experience with it during her time in Missoula schools. Stetting up the program was pretty easy, Fuller noted.

“I think it just gives us another resource to use for our kids in need,” she said.

Previously these kinds of needs had been addressed by high school counselor Barb Mansfield through different organizations like Soroptimist International of Whitefish. With My Student in Need, Fuller said it just makes the process of helping students much easier.

Looking ahead to next year, Fuller said she wants to remind parents and teachers about the program when it comes time for things like school supply shopping.

“I think we need to get it out, not only to our teachers but to the parents, just as a way to say ‘this is available, if you need help here it is,’” she said. “If you’ve ever looked at how much it costs to buy the binders and paper, if you have three or four kids it’s pretty darn expensive to send a kid to school.”

It’s also helpful to have a community that’s always ready to lend a hand, she said.

“This community is just amazing. If you ever need anything the community is always there.”

For more information and to see current student needs, visit https://www.mystudentinneed.org/.