NILES — While Monica Ellis, Old National Bank employee, unlocked her van’s doors as she prepared to leave Eastside Connections School at 315 N. 14th in Niles, she said she could not get over the smiles on students’ faces.

Her coworker, Tamiko Brown, agreed.

A half-hour before, Ellis’ van was filled with about 1,600 school supplies for the Niles school district. Brown and Ellis passed out those items, many stored in boxes, to Rhonda Belcher’s second-grade class, who walked the items into the school and onto the lunchroom’s stage.

Brown and Ellis shopped for items and delivered them to Eastside on behalf of Old National Bank, which collected items and cash donations as part of a school supply drive for its customers and employees. The duo also presented a $200 check to Eastside principal Joe Racht.

“This is just Old National giving back to the community,” Brown said. “Anytime we can help out a school in a local community, that’s what we’re here for. That’s something we enjoy doing, just participating in community events and giving back.”

The school supply drive is a yearly event for the Niles chapter of Old National Bank. Last year, it gave to St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niles.

As Brown and Ellis delivered, Ariel Pahloski and Casey Bailey prepared to deliver 1,086 school supply items to two other local elementary schools. The tag team had collected items and monetary donations during the weeks prior for Chalet of Niles, sometimes setting up shop inside Martin’s Super Market.

“It’s been quite rewarding,” Pahloski said. “I’m actually surprised that we were able to gather so much.”

Half the donations went to Merritt Elementary, of Brandywine Community Schools, and half went to Ballard Elementary, of Niles Community Schools.

Both businesses collected similar items, ranging from traditional school supply staples — such as pencils, glue sticks and folders — to those that not all guardians would remember to pack with their children — such as tissues, hand sanitizers and paper towels.

At each Friday delivery, the principals of each school thanked their supporters, posed for a pictures and told their students about the work their supporters had done.

“These are some things that your teachers really, really want but they don’t have enough of,” Eastside principal Joe Racht said to Belcher’s students.

Ballard principal Jeron Blood had similar sentiments.

“[Chalet of Niles] wanted to make sure you guys started off the new year great and gave the supplies you needed,” he said to a cohort of students from each Ballard grade level.

All of the donations will eventually end up in students’ hands, — save the occasional hand sanitizer squirt and tissue taken by a teacher — but the means of distributing the items varied.

Racht and Merritt Elementary principal Matthew Severin said their items would be distributed like a shopping spree.

“We’re almost going to do a school store for teachers,” Racht said. “We bring around the cart, and they get to choose the rewards. It’ll be fun.”

Remaining supplies would be stored at both schools until needs arose.

Blood said teachers were working to identify and report on the students and classrooms that needed certain items most. Then, Ballard would distribute the items as needed.

While Ballard’s distribution was different than Eastside’s and Merritt’s, its goal to get items into the hands of students that needed them most was the same.

All three principals said their schools faced two dilemmas that districts across the nation face. First, some students’ guardians cannot afford all of the items required for an entire school year. Second, many teachers pay for classroom items for those students out of pocket.

The principals said their schools try to minimize both issues, but donations like those given last Friday help.

“We’re just so excited,” Severin said. “We are connected with our community.”