Little Bit Foundation outlines services, asks for volunteers as SLPS partner

Little Bit Foundation representatives told the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education on Jan. 13 that the nonprofit provides clothing, books, food markets, health screenings and family case management at 20 district schools and invests about $1.6 million annually in SLPS programs.

The presentation highlighted the nonprofit’s “whole child” model, which staff described as combining essentials (uniforms, shoes, coats), academic enrichment (book fairs, STEM programs, tutoring), and health and family supports. “Our basic goal is to make sure that we can provide what students need so that teachers can teach,” said Jen, a Little Bit Foundation representative.

The group said it operates school-based boutiques and that staff or volunteers fill orders from a central warehouse, provide fittings, and sometimes alter items on site. “When all the schools have access to our system, they put in an order for a kid and we fill that order brand new at our warehouse,” the presenter said. The funder mix cited during the presentation is private donations, corporate support and individual gifts; the presenters said those resources cover the program at no cost to SLPS.

Little Bit also described academic and enrichment programs: levelled book fairs that aim to give every child at least four free books per year; STEM programming including robotics and a short-term “STEM lingo” course; and college-career readiness events with scholarship offers from local universities. The group said it ran 12 book fairs last year and distributed 8,176 books in the fall semester alone.

On health and nutrition, presenters said the nonprofit runs 11 mobile or in-school food markets; one site at Yateman allows students to stock and manage the market. They also described a partnership with university nursing programs that supports immunizations and wellness checks and reported 1,031 students received health screenings and immunizations through the program last year.

Board members asked for details about a newly announced family case management program. “Who was funding the Family Case Management?” Board member Hubbard asked. Miranda, identified as a Little Bit Foundation representative, said the work is funded by the Missouri Health Board through a multi-year grant (initially three years, later extended to four).

Miranda described how three master’s-level case managers work with school counselors to triage caseloads and make referrals to partner agencies (St. Louis Area Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul and licensed mental health providers) after getting parental consent. She outlined a recent case where the foundation helped secure funeral clothing and housing coordination for a grieving student and coordinated services with the school’s transition team.

The presenters also asked for volunteers and said the organization depends on a regular corps of about 50 volunteers who assist in schools and the warehouse. “We strive to have two volunteers at every school,” Miranda said, adding volunteers receive background checks and training.

Board members thanked the presenters and confirmed the foundation has a new permanent location and will host a ribbon-cutting. The presentation materials and data cited by Little Bit included counts for the most recent semester: 10,997 essentials distributed, more than 4,000 basic-need orders filled, 31 emergency orders, 2,476 students served through mobile markets and 75 students who received counseling through contracted providers.

The board did not take a formal action on the presentation. Officials said the district and the foundation will continue coordinating on school sites and volunteer engagement.

Ending: Little Bit representatives said they will share more detailed program reports with the board and invited members to visit the foundation’s new permanent warehouse and retail space to see operations firsthand.