Kids Above All gets a helping hand for kids going back to school
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When the non-profit Kids Above All opened a new distribution center in Des Plaines this spring, it didn't take them long to fill the shelves.
But then they had a new problem: getting those diapers, clothes, toiletries, and toys to the kids who needed them.
The group helps kids and families impacted by poverty, violence, and systemic injustice, but now they're receiving a helping hand.
CBS 2's Sara Machi shows you the new partnership creating real growth.
Inside this new Des Plaines distribution center, there's a different kind of school supply drive—one with actual horsepower.
"We come here; we grab a whole lot of packages. We got a van full today," said Jake Crampton, who was delivering school supplies.
The medical supply group MedSpeed comes every week, using their logistics software and scanning system to get these packages from Kids Above All out the door and into the hands of KAA clients. A charitable partnership that goes further than a one-time donation.
"When you look hard at your business, I don't care what it is, you have built some sort of asset, some kind of capacities or capabilities, and these can apply in ways that you never really imagined but can make a huge difference," said Jake Crampton, CEO of MedSpeed.
"I mean, we had a meeting the other day at one of our sites at a MedSpeed delivery driver showed up and was dropping off diapers."
Kids Above All CEO Dan Kotowski said the partnership saves them money and manpower when the new distribution center creates rapid growth.
"It's really transformed our operation. That we are that much more professional and efficient, and we are able to get that much closer to our mission, which is building a better life," Kotowski said.
Leaders at Kids Above All said they know this distribution center is needed. Just three months ago, they were serving more than 2,300 families. Now they're at 3,000.
"It tells us that the need is that much greater, and we have to do more to fill that need. And that's OK. We are ready and prepared to do just that," Kotowski said.
Kids Above All is sending out some 1,400 backpacks of supplies this school year, knowing they now have the space and support to help even more.
