A drive for success
Published 8:43 am Thursday, August 2, 2018
Mother and daughter Serenity and Alethia Kitt share smiles during a back-to-school drive Saturday.
Members of Sharon Baptist Church and members of the community take part in a back-to- school drive at the Bright Hope Center Saturday morning. Pictured are, front row from left, Gary Faines, Donna McRae-Jones, Barbara Marshall, Ernestine Monroe; back row, Mary Faines, Karen Chavis, Susie Carter, Lucy Frasier, Ann Baker, Dorothy Gilliam, Delsia Blanton and Minister Kern Gilliam.
Alyssa Madden holds a backpack she won during a back-to-school drive Saturday.
Members of Sharon Baptist Church and the community gathered at the Bright Hope Center at 3883 Cumberland Road on Saturday to give school supplies to children in preschool through 12th grade.
To view more photos of the event, click here.
Barbara Marshall, the outreach coordinator for the church, said this is the congregation’s ninth year giving school supplies to children in the area. Marshall said they have provided school supplies to as many as 400 students one year. She said the average school drive sees between 200-300 students. “We wanted to do something to help the community,” Marshall said.
She said her goal was to help students “go to school prepared. Help them succeed.”
Marshall said congregation members partner with the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, Linda Eanes with the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension and the Backpacks of Love program, which gives backpacks full of food for students who face hunger.
The event included a raffle, where winners received backpacks and other items, face painting and games such as Twister, and a game inspired by the game show “Minute to Win It” where children used straws to blow a foosball into a plastic cup.
