NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) — 250 backpacks were handed out to students at Taft elementary Thursday afternoon, as one of eight area schools to receive supplies through the Kids in Need Foundation.

The Foundation teamed up with Jewelers Mutual to distribute 2,000 backpacks to students across Northeast Wisconsin.

“I looked at some of the kids and they just had this big smile on their face,” Ken Murray, Vice President of Marketing at Jewelers Mutual said, “and then when we were handing the backpacks out, some of the kids were jumping up and down, they were just elated.”

The backpacks were stuffed with school supplies, including folders, spiral notebooks, pencils, and erasers.

Aubri Delikowski, a 5th grader at Taft, says the backpacks full of supplies will be put to good use.

“When I saw all of the materials I’m like, wow,” she said. “I just felt happy, because there’s a lot of people out there who don’t have this stuff.”\

That’s a need the Kids in Need Foundation addresses nationally.

“When students have the supplies they need, their behavior is better, their attendance is better, and they’re focused on the teacher,” Kristine Cohn, Senior Director of Development at the Kids in Need Foundation explained. “It allows them to feel that they’ve got everything that everyone else has.”

The school held an assembly to distribute the backpacks to the students.

“It was so great to see that a little bit of work that we can do can make such a big difference in the community,” Murray said.

Addie Tyriver, another 5th grader, told Local 5 that she’s been inspired to pay the kindness forward.

“I have a friend who still does not have a pencil bag, ruler, or sharpener, or erasers and that kind of stuff,” she said. “So I might provide this to her because it’s a kind thing to do.”

Backpacks stuffed with school supplies will also be distributed to students in Green Bay, Appleton, and Oshkosh as a part of the effort.

To learn more about the Kids in Need Foundation, click here.