What started six years ago as a way for Whitesboro’s First United Methodist Church to support local students has grown into a community outreach effort that this year provided school supplies and new backpacks to more than 200 children.
Families stopped by Wesley Hall on Saturday to pick-up their supplies.
Project organizer Cathy Weems said the response to this year’s school supply drive reinforced the growing need many families face as they prepare for back to school.
Applications were distributed electronically through school counselors in the spring, and passed on to families to register.
“This year, after half a day, we had over 100 applicants,” Weems said. “By the end of the day, we had over 200 applicants. That showed a real need to us.”
Unlike many assistance programs, the church does not require proof of income or residency.
“We don’t check,” Weems said. “Anybody that needs supplies, if they get hold of our application, they come in. They don’t have to have proof of anything. We don’t want to know. We just let them come.”
Although many participants are from Whitesboro ISD, the program is open to any family in need.
The ministry is funded entirely through donations from the congregation and individual supporters. The church dedicates offerings during May to the project, and supporters also contribute through checks and online giving.
Rather than relying solely on donated supplies, the church purchases the items students need for each grade level.
“We order exactly what the kids need,” Weems said. “They get real Crayola markers, not the cheap ones.”
While the church cannot provide every item listed on the ever-growing school supply lists, volunteers assemble the core classroom essentials for each student. Parents are still responsible for purchasing classroom consumables such as paper towels, disinfecting wipes and similar shared supplies.
Each child also receives a brand-new backpack of their choice.
Volunteers organize supplies by grade level before distribution day. Grocery bags donated annually by Brookshire Brothers are filled with supplies tailored for each grade.
Students check in, pick up the bag designated for their grade level and select a backpack in the color they prefer.
Even families who missed the registration deadline received help.
“We had a lot of drop-ins,” Weems said. “After the giveaway was over, we filled backpacks for them too. Nobody was turned away.”
According to Weems, the ministry grew out of the church’s ongoing commitment to strengthen its relationship with local public schools.
In addition to the annual school supply drive, the church conducts a Christmas clothing drive that provides students with warm clothing such as hoodies, sweatshirts, mittens and joggers during the winter months.
They also collect donations each August to stock teacher lounges with snacks.
The church also stays in contact with school counselors throughout the year to help meet additional needs as they arise.
Weems said that First United Bank also conducts a school supply collection that provides materials directly to school counselors, complementing the church’s effort to place supplies directly into students’ hands.
She said the rising cost of school supplies has made the ministry increasingly important for many families.
“The lists are long,” Weems said. “There are so many kids that can’t afford supplies, and they come in with nothing. That’s a really bad feeling when you walk into your classroom the first of the year and you don’t have what the other kids have. That’s hard on kids, real hard on kids.”
Providing supplies before school starts can make a lasting difference, she said.
“If a counselor’s got something to hand them or we can give them something before, it just changes the whole experience,” Weems said. “It really helps the kids’ self-esteem.”
For Weems, the program reflects a broader tradition of community members stepping up to support local schools whenever needs arise.
“There’s a lot of community support here for the schools,” she said. “And that’s a wonderful thing.”
