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Family is what it’s all about after storm

Kile Brewer
Posted 9/20/17

MIDDLEBURG – In the wake of last week’s storm, teachers at Wilkinson Junior High School started thinking about their students.

A few teachers came together and took to social media to seek …

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Family is what it’s all about after storm


Posted

MIDDLEBURG – In the wake of last week’s storm, teachers at Wilkinson Junior High School started thinking about their students.

A few teachers came together and took to social media to seek out donations for the students and families at the school, where more than 60 percent of their students receive school meals either free or at a reduced rate. With school being cancelled through Sept. 15, that meant a majority of the school’s students would not be receiving those meals.

“When it comes to these kids, there’s nothing we won’t do,” said Ryan Vaughan, the school’s ESE director.

As donations started to come through, Vaughan spoke with his wife, who works with Lutheran Social Services. The nonprofit organization has a program that helps Duval County school students by providing schools with tied bags of foods that are designed to get a student through the weekend. The bags are handed out discreetly by teachers and placed directly in the students’ backpacks.

Vaughan thought this would be a great way to give to the community, so he pitched the idea to LSS on Wednesday, and by Thursday, the agency was on board. The school announced the donation and invited members of the community to come by on Sept. 15 between noon and 6 p.m. to pick up a bag of food for each student. Teachers also asked donors to shop for laundry soap, pet supplies, and items such as baby wipes that come in handy when your hot water heater doesn’t have power and prefer not to take a cold shower.

“Even though they prepared for the storm, they didn’t know [the effects] would last this long,” said Jason Clark, a nourishment network coordinator with Lutheran Social Services. “Our goal is to get them through the weekend.”

Each bag contained snacks and food staples that are designed to provide about seven basic meals, one for Friday night and three for both Saturday and Sunday. A box truck delivered hundreds of these bags last Friday morning at Wilkinson.

“This is just our way of giving back to the community in this time of need,” Clark said. “A lot of people spent their money on other things to prepare for the storm.”

After the donations from the Jacksonville-based Lutheran Social Services arrived, Wilkinson’s cafeteria was half-full of bags of food. What started as one table of donated food and supplies had expanded and filled almost all the table space in their lunch room.

There was enough extra food that Wilkinson sent 200 bags to Clay Hill Elementary and another 300 to Middleburg Elementary. Following Friday’s pop-up shop at Wilkinson, any remaining food and supplies were taken across the parking lot to Wilkinson Elementary where they would be given away at the school’s block party, which was thought up as an escape for families who had been dealing with the effects of the storm all week long.

“We wanted to have a party for our families to come together and have a good time, to distract them from what has been going on,” Wilkinson Elementary Principal Heather Teto said. “That’s what we’re all about in Middleburg – family.”

In addition to donated food, supplies and the bags donated through LSS, there were also some items up for grabs that were intended as a small, comforting gesture from the school.

The junior high’s FCCLA chapter came together to create something special for those who showed up at the school for food and supplies. Student club members baked cookies and cupcakes, all artfully decorated and wrapped individually in cellophane as a sort of free bake sale for people who, after a week of power outages and weather-related issues, would appreciate fresh home-baked treats.

“It adds that home feeling, it’s not just a bag of food, it’s something special,” said Christina Cornwell, Wilkinson Junior High principal. “Hopefully they get the feeling that we love them.”

As the teachers bagged bread and helped shoppers find the items they need, there were smiles on every face in the room. Endless exchanges of, “Thank you,” and “we’re here to help,” could be heard.

“We want everyone to feel at home whether they’re a student, parent, or faculty member,” said Tina Norris, a teacher at Wilkinson Junior High. “This is a family, not just a school, and we have to help our people.”

Norris smiled as she watched students and staff carrying groceries for shoppers, and loading up trucks outside to would be delivered to other schools and to families who couldn’t get out of their homes.

“We have faculty members here who don’t even have power themselves, but they’re here volunteering,” Norris said. “I’m so proud of our kids. These students are volunteering their time when they’re out of school to help the community. They’ve come together to help those in need.”