It’s back-to-school season, and for students and parents alike, it’s both exciting and nerve-racking. Not only are students starting a new year, but some are entering a whole new school building, and the older you get, the more supplies you need for the year. With inflation high, some parents or guardians are stressed at the thought of spending tons of money on supplies, but thanks to multiple individuals within the community, many families were able to get free school supplies this past Friday.
Ariana Watts, from First Christian Church’s Love In Action, has been organizing the “Back to School Supplies’ Giveaway” for years. This event is a testament to the community’s commitment to helping local families provide the necessary supplies for their children’s education. With over 10 tables brimming with a diverse range of items, from backpacks suitable for all ages to binders, notebooks, markers, pencils, crayons, and more, they ensured that every child who walked in left with a fully-packed backpack.
Watts explained the need for bulk items and how they could get them.
“The church has been doing it for a lot longer than I individually have been doing it. Carlene Garrett started it with the church through our committee called ‘Love in Action’ quite a few years before COVID. Then I took over about three years ago, and we were helping each other out, so, at least ten years. This year, we went through a bulk supplier, and we ordered a bunch of different supplies based on the needs of the school and the supply list that they give me at the end of the year. And our donors come from First Christian Church, so they donate money that gets put into a ‘Love in Action’ fund for projects such as this, and then we pull from those funds to cover the cost of the supplies.”
Not only could families get free school supplies, but they also gave away 1,915 sack lunches. There were some items they could not get in bulk, like tissue boxes or Clorox Wipes, but Watts got the most essential things in various colors and designs.
“When I go through and pick them out, I try to be aware of boys and girls for younger ages, like my son’s age, like what patterns they would like, the fun, funky patterns and then try to go up and get solid colors that I think would be appealing more to the older grades of girls and boys both.”
“Would you include lunch boxes next time?”
“That’s a good idea. We’ll have to look at the funds from this year and see how much was spent and how much we have left over in different areas, but that’s a good possibility because we did add in headphones this year, and then we weren’t able to do those before.”
Following the giveaway, the impact extended beyond the families who received supplies. Local schools, including Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, JR/SR High School, and Brownsville, were able to benefit from the event. They received totes and boxes full of leftover supplies, providing extra resources for teachers and students throughout the school year.
“We definitely couldn’t make this happen though without our generous donors from First Christian Church and the numerous volunteers that helped pitch in and jump to make lunches and to overlap with unpacking school supplies, breaking down boxes, getting school supplies ready for those that came in, and then getting those divvied out to the schools afterwards.”
