The ever-widening grin on the face of 6-year-old Harrison Strong told the story.

One, he is a happy guy.

Two, thanks to the community of Plains and the Church on the Move, Strong will be going back to school at the end of this month with the tools he needs to be a Plains elementary school student.

Strong and many more area school kids and their parents were able to get the supplies their children need heading into the 2023-24 school year thanks to the Back 2 School supply giveaway this past weekend at the Plains Church on the Move.

By 10 a.m. Friday, more than 60 young school age children from throughout the Plains area had been registered by their parents seeking help with a wide range of items on local school district lists requesting students acquire the supplies for the coming school year.

“There are are a lot of things we need to get and we are grateful for the assistance this event provides,” said Heather Thompson, Strong’s mother. “This is the first time we’ve come to this event and it's a big help.”

Strong’s ear-to-ear grin was due in large part to the backpack he picked up that depicted one of his favorites from an animated film about talking race cars.

“I really like all of this and love my backpack,” Strong said.

The backpacks and supplies were given out at no cost.

The backpacks and supplies were gathered via donations from members of the Church on the Move congregation, as well as residents living in the Plains area and local businesses.

“These supplies are courtesy of the solid community response to the need,” said COTM member and event organizer Jessica Peterson. “This is our fourth year of doing this and this looks like it will be another good year.”

Church officials reported 65 families with a total of 133 kids were helped out during the two-day event. Additional supplies can be obtained by contacting Church on the Move in Plains. The church is also purchasing several new pairs of shoes for those in need.

Peterson said more than 100 area children took advantage of the program last year. Supplies handed out included everything from spiral notebooks, to pens and pencils, to glue and a myriad of other supplies on the school list.

“These families come in looking for a little assistance with what has become an increasingly expensive thing,” Peterson said. “Last year (the first year mostly post-co-vid) we had more than 100 kids we helped.

Peterson said the church, which has also taken responsibility for the community’s food bank and clothing bank programs, is just part of a wide-reaching community response to a real need.

“The community of Plains and church members have had a great response to this program,” she said. “We also have the clothing bank to help with the overall back to school experience.”

Krystin Coldwell, who came with her two children, Emma and Jada, said the help is much appreciated.

“There’s a pretty long list of supplies we need to get, having this program really helps,” she said.

Sean Peterson, a COTM member who staffed the front entrance check-in site, said the Back 2 School program is part of what makes Plains a really good place to live.

“The community and church are really good about making this work,” he said. “This is a good thing for everyone. People are helping each other which is what we are all supposed to be doing.”