Four days before the first bell rings to start a new school year, a church makes an effort for classrooms at Southeast Elementary School to be well stocked when students arrive Monday.
Members of Queen Street United Methodist Church were at Southeast Elementary School Wednesday morning to hand deliver school supplies to teachers for the upcoming year. The project is part of the church’s Hand in Hand ministry.
According to Ann Laws, the project head, supplies are donated to help students and parents who can't afford them or don't have a means of transportation to get out to the stores. It helps teachers cut down on paying for supplies out of their own pockets. Donations apply strictly to the needs of the teachers.
“We take the class lists and give to the teachers specifically what they need,” Laws said.
Kindergarten teacher Christina Clark-Zoltek, who has been teaching at Southeast Elementary School for 16 years, expressed her appreciation for the donations.
“It is tremendously valuable, not only to the students, but to the staff and parents as well,” Clark-Zoltek said.
In addition to donating school supplies the church also helps out Southeast Elementary with other programs. There are monthly birthday parties for students, a clothing closet, prayer cards sent every month to all staff members and volunteers who read to students once a week.
The clothing closet is stocked with new clothes which are used for emergency needs, such as if a student requires a change of clothes during the day; also if there is a more permanent need like a new pair of shoes, Pastor Allen Bingham pointed out.
According to Hand in Hand coordinator Dee Adkins, the partnership between the church and school is now in its 13th year.
The program began in 2000 with the prayer cards, and the physical presence — such as the clothing closet — started in 2001, Adkins said.
Laws said many church members are retired teachers and know they can empathize with staff members.
“We know how much teachers have to spend out of their own pockets,” Laws said.
Belinda Coleman, who has been teaching for 37 years, is now teaching the grandchildren of some of her first students. Coleman said she is grateful for the church's involvement in the school.
"It is good to know we have someone who is there when we have a need," Coleman said.
Southeast Elementary School, along with all Lenoir County Schools, will begin classes on Monday.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @ nclark763.