Central congregants stuff backpacks with dignity, pride

FLORENCE, S.C. — Unitement was in the air on Monday as around a dozen congregants from the Central United Methodist Church gathered together to prepare backpacks brimming with essential school supplies for local students. The initiative was designed not only to support children in need, but also to empower them to embrace the new academic year with pride and dignity.

Church’s Outreach for the Community

“The message to the kids is that we see you, and we want you to walk into school on the first day with dignity and pride, and with a backpack full of what they need,” said Karen Hill, a member of the church’s outreach ministry. She also emphasized that the initiative represents Central’s commitment to community involvement, particularly in helping those most in need.

Churchwide Effort

The congregation came together in the upstairs room of the church to carry out this volunteer-driven, church-wide effort. An Amazon Wishlist, headed by Katri Skinner, facilitated the collection of necessary school supplies, from crayons and pens to headphones and other school-related materials. The collected items were sufficient to fill a room and multiple backpacks.

Sturdy Backpacks for Chrome Books

Ensuring that the backpacks were not only filled with essentials, but also able to hold Chrome Books, the church sought to offer durable and spacious backpacks. The backpacks are to be distributed to students and organizations in Florence to ensure no student is lacking essentials on their first day of school.

Long-term commitment to academic support

This is not the first time the Central United Methodist Church has reached out for the academic needs of the community’s students. “Our church has been affiliated with Briggs Elementary School for a long, long time and we have been doing a backpack drive for years,” said Hill, who expressed her joy at the church being able to assist even more through Helping Florence Flourish and Lighthouse’s parenting group in recent years.

The first of August marked the start of a new term for Florence One Schools. With the community’s support, every student will step into the new academic year with a backpack filled not just with school supplies, but also with a sense of dignity, community support, and preparedness.