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School supplies in July are like toys at Christmas.
Everywhere you look, stores, companies, churches and The Salvation Army are all teaming up to support students and educators as school begins. But come winter, the halfway point through the school year, the hype of beginning a new year has fizzled out—along with the abundance of supplies.
Crayons are broken, pencils have no erasers, glue sticks are all dried out and the school shelves are bare.
With that in mind, the Prescott (Arizona) Corps created “RE”-supply the teacher.
“Everyone has read the stats or heard the stories about how much teachers spend out of their own pocket buying supplies,” said Corps Officer Major Guy Hawk. “That is because school supplies are needed all year long. So to meet this local need, we filled bags with new supplies and brought them to the nearby schools.”
Hawk said the supplies were warmly received and it also sparked the beginning of a new community partnership making a way to meet the needs of children in another practical way.
“Helping the community doesn’t always look like site programs or family assistance,” he said. “Sometimes it just takes being aware of the needs around you and finding a unique way to meet them. Sometimes it’s school supplies in the new year.”
