The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District is proud to highlight the remarkable impact of two key programs—Care to Learn and Backpacks for Friday—that continue to support our students and families by meeting critical health, hunger, and hygiene needs.
Care to Learn: Meeting Immediate Needs, One Student at a Time
School Social Worker Stephanie Gegg, Chapter Liaison for Care to Learn Ste. Genevieve, recently presented a year-in-review of the program’s first full year in the district. Launched in March 2024, Care to Learn Ste. Genevieve provides immediate funding to address students’ basic needs, allowing them to focus on learning without the distraction of unmet personal necessities.
With approximately 1,800 students in the district, not all families have access to the resources needed to cover everyday essentials. Care to Learn steps in to bridge that gap.
Over the past school year, Care to Learn helped students and families in a variety of ways:
Health: Eyeglasses, crutch tips, medication co-pays, pest control, and more
Hunger: Grocery vouchers, year-round food bags, food drawers, and negative lunch balance payoffs
Hygiene: Toilet paper, laundry detergent, personal care products, pull-ups and wipes
Emergent Needs: Shoes, clothing, hotel stays, sensory tools, extermination services
The District launched its partnership with the Care to Learn program in March 2024. Last year, Care to Learn set up two anonymous donors who agreed to match up to $35,000 of donations raised by the District. Mrs. Gegg shared that the district’s goal was met by this past December, in large part by incorporating the Backpacks for Friday program.
Between July 2024 and March 2025, the Ste. Genevieve chapter met 13,267 individual student needs. Funding for many of these services has also been supported by a DESE reimbursement grant, which covered health, hunger, and hygiene-related expenses.
“It has been really amazing,” said Gegg. “We were working off a very small budget before and meeting needs, but now it’s just kind of opened the doors. It’s for every student, and I’ve hardly had to turn anyone away.”
The District thanks the many donors who contributed to the success of Care to Learn this past year. To learn more or make a donation, visit bit.ly/dragongiving or find more details on the district website at caretolearn.org/stegenevieve.
Donations can also be made by mailing a check payable to Care to Learn Ste. Genevieve to:
Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District
Attn: Erin Jokerst
375 North Fifth Street
Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
Backpacks for Friday: Fighting Hunger, One Backpack at a Time
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lance McClard also shared an update on the Backpacks for Friday program, now operating under the Care to Learn umbrella. The program provides weekly food staples to 55 families across the district in partnership with the Southeast Missouri Food Bank.
Each backpack costs approximately $350 per year, with $60 covered by the Food Bank, and provides 36 weeks of nutritious food. For the 2024–2025 school year:
21 backpacks were distributed at Bloomsdale Elementary (enrollment: 288)
34 backpacks were distributed at Ste. Genevieve Elementary (enrollment: 568)
Dr. McClard expressed appreciation for the program’s many behind-the-scenes supporters, including:
Elementary counselors who help identify needs and coordinate delivery
Students in the STARS program, along with Jon Robinson, Joseph Hull, and Susan Flieg, for organizing and transporting monthly shipments
The district’s Maintenance Department for supporting logistics and delivery
To contribute specifically to the Backpacks for Friday Program, donors may send a check with “Backpacks for Friday” in the memo line to:
Dr. Lance McClard
SG R-II Assistant Superintendent
375 North Fifth Street
Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
A Community Effort
SG R-II would like to express its deepest gratitude to the many local individuals, businesses, and organizations who made these programs possible. From anonymous donors to longtime community partners, your support ensures that no student has to go without the basics.
Together, through Care to Learn and Backpacks for Friday, we are helping students stay focused on what matters most—learning, growing, and thriving.
SG R-II would like to share a heartfelt thank you to the following 2024-2025 donors whose donations funded our Care to Learn Chapter this past school year:
Ability Network, Inc.
Acrisure
Beussink, Hey, Roe, & Stroder
Basler Funeral Home
Bauman Sealcoating & Striping
Bloomsdale Excavating
Brittany Gegg
Brockmiller Construction
Buchholtz-Kiefer Post 150
Carol Austin
Children's Therapy Support
Citizens Electric Corporation
Crystal Lanterman
Domino’s
Don Heil Oil Co., Inc
Donna Marler
Equipment Pro, Inc.
First Baptist Church
GFWC Woman's Club of Ste. Genevieve
Hall of Fame Trophies & Awards
Jamie Fischer
Janna LeClere
John Boyd
Kathy Tate
Kim Fischer
KRJ Architecture
Kyla Parker
L. J. Hart & Company
Lemon Theory Design
Lions Club of Ste. Genevieve
Meinershagen Roofing & Sheet Metal, LLC
MLC
Nathan Kingery
Nicole Jordan
Premier Shutters and Blinds
R&K Excavation
Richard and Teresa Slough
Richard Rudloff and Carol Steiger
Rick and Marcia Schaefer
Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education
Ste. Genevieve Dragon Prints (fundraiser)
Ste. Genevieve Vision Care
Taylor Engineering
Teri and Donald Meister
Terri Thomas
Terry and Louise Basler
Tom and Sue Hilbert
University of Missouri Extension Council
Weingarten Jaycees
SG R-II would like to share a heartfelt thank you to the following 2024-2025 donors whose donations funded the backpacks for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year:
American Legion Post 150
Beta Rho
Janna LeClere
Lhoist North America
New Offenburg First Baptist Church
Presbyterian Women
River Hills Thunderin’ Longbeards
Tyson Roth
SGCMH - Medical Staff
SGNEA
Richard & Teresa Slough
Ste. Genevieve Elks Lodge 2674
Zell Area Jaycees
*Donations made during a school year actually fund the following school year's backpacks for students. The group of donors listed above made donations from July 2024 - June 2025.