Ready Set School

Date: 2026 August 14 & 15
Time: By Appointment
Location: Johnson County Fairgrounds, Building C

A collaborative event in partnership with United Way, The Salvation Army, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, Open Heartland, and Johnson County Community Violence Intervention to help Kindergarten through 12th grade students prepare for school with school supplies, backpacks, dental and eye exams, vaccines, and haircuts.

Register Now for 2026 Ready Set School!

Students who are interested in participating in the Ready Set School distribution are required to register before the event. There will be no make-up days this year, so please select your date and time slots carefully.

For registration questions, contact readysetschool@usc.salvationarmy.org

Register Here for 2026 Ready Set School

How many supplies are needed for Ready Set School?

We're on a mission to collect 65,000 supply items to fill the backpacks of 2,000 local students before the first bell rings, and we need your help to make it happen!

Take a look at what's still on our list. Every item collected gets us one step closer to the finish line. Can your team or organization help us check something off? Let's see what this community can do!

Volunteer at the Event - Coming Soon for 2026

Many hands make light work and it will take many hands to serve 2,000 students at our event on August 14th and 15th!

Please contact Wendy Nolan from United Way with questions or for more information regarding volunteering at this event: wendy.nolan@unitedwayjwc.org.

Click Here to Volunteer!!

Donate to Ready Set School

Donate Now

Please use the "Notes" section of the donation form to indicate the donation is for "Ready Set School". If you're a company / organization that would like to be a sponsor of this event, contact Raine.messamaker@unitedwayjwc.org.

Purchase Supplies Online - Amazon Wishlist

Purchase Supplies Here

Host A Drive

Host a supply drive within your workplace, church group, family, or amongst neighbors. We expect to serve over 1,800 students at Ready Set School and every donated item will make a difference for local students in need.

If you are interested in hosting a drive, please reach out to Raine Messamaker at Raine.Messamaker@unitedwayjwc.org to learn which supplies are most needed at this time. We will send you a poster to use with a list of the items your group will collect.

All supply donations must be collected and delivered by Thursday, August 7th, 2026. Donations can be dropped off at the United Way office at 160 Southgate Ave., Suite A, in Iowa City.