CLINTON - Growing up in a family with seven brothers and sisters, it didn't take long for Kathleen Frick to learn the value of a dollar.

"Kids always need stuff," Frick said. "Clothes, food and school supplies. It never ends."

Since May 2002, some of those items have been a little easier to obtain for hundreds of DeWitt County residents thanks to a program called Write Stuff for Kids. Frick was a charter member and now is treasurer and director.

Last year, more than 600 students received school supplies from the program. As the economy continues to slow, Frick expects that number to rise.

Among the more satisfying projects, Frick said, is the installment of the Lunch Box Program at the Clinton Junior High School and soon at Clinton High School. The computerized payment option allows parents to pay for lunches in advance, eliminating the need to send cash to school. For those on the free or reduced-price plan, the system provides confidentiality.

"We found that kids at the junior and senior high school level were likely to get teased when they were recognized for having free or reduced lunches," Frick said. "This eliminates that."

A $4,200 grant from Exelon Corp., which operates a Clinton-based nuclear power plant, helped pay for the program at the high school. Write Stuff and another children's charity, Angel Tree, both rely solely on donations and fundraising.

"Kathleen and the Write Stuff group has the best interests of the kids at heart," Exelon communications director Bruce Paulson said. "We've helped them over the years with school supply donations and the Lunch Box Program has proved to be a huge benefit to students."

Clinton School District Superintendent Jeff Holmes appreciates those efforts, as well.

"Write Stuff for Kids has been a tremendous tool for the Clinton School District," Holmes said. "Each year, they help us and help our students and we are grateful."

Frick worries the tough economy will make next year's fundraising efforts more difficult, but another DeWitt County children's charity got an unexpected boost from an unlikely source.

Sue Calvert has overseen DeWitt County's Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts for underprivileged children, since 1992. That's long enough to know that when the economy turns sluggish, her list of requests grows longer.

On Nov. 6, Calvert attended a fundraiser sponsored by the Clinton Rotary Club, which donated $1,500 to Angel Tree. Joyce Bryan, wife of newly appointed Sixth Circuit Judge Garry Bryant, won the evening's grand prize of $5,000 in cash.

Asking for the microphone, she surprised an audience of 200 by donating the winnings to Angel Tree.

Calvert was shocked.

"I am just overwhelmed," she said. "We're just starting the holiday season and wondering how we are going to serve all of the kids that we are going to have on the list. That was a tremendous and thoughtful gesture."

Write Stuff has an annual operating budget of around $15,000. Angel Tree has not set budget but compiles names - more than 700 families last year - and asks others to "adopt families" to provide gifts from a wish list.

Contact Write Stuff for Kids at (217) 935-9637. Contact Angel Tree at (309) 825-5822.