School Readiness update

Well, as usual, I am slow in blogging. I'm sorry and I will try very hard to do better :). I wanted to write an update on our School Readiness distribution since this has consumed my work, time, and thoughts for the last month. First of all, I have been very thankful for Jessica, who has been working with me. Originally, when I found out she was switching to my program for our last month, I was afraid there wouldn't be enough work for both of us. Boy, was I wrong! We ended up getting lots of donations of clothes, underwear, books, and school supplies....so the sorting and organizing was never-ending....(we still have alot to organize!)

But, my county's distribution went great! As we did for Christmas, First Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon (also where I attend) allowed us to use their facility (their gym) for the distribution. We set up tables in a u-shape and had several stations for the families to walk through. 1)The families checked-in and received bags to shop. 2) The families were able to sift through bins of clothes in all sizes and underwear. Each parent could get five items per child. 3)Then, they received their backpacks which were all brand-new and stocked with many school supplies. Based on what I've heard, the backpacks and school supplies were much better quality than in past years. The children were super excited about them (remember how excited you were to get new notebooks and folders?!). 4) We put together "grab bags" for each child. I received donations of children's books and added some candy and other toys so that each child got a bag that was age-appropriate. 5)At the next stop, each family received a hygiene bag with toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and a Bible. 6)Finally, at my stop, I checked them out and gave them a voucher to use at a local store for more clothing, shoes, or school supplies, as well as a coupon for the CAP thrift store, Grateful Threadz. All in all, I think these families made out very well!!
For some awesome pictures, please see the CAP Facebook page here. We served 99 children, which included almost 50 families. Since word has spread around the county about the distribution, we have continued to give out school supplies from what we had left.

School Readiness and Christmas are, by far, my favorite parts of the year. Although I'm exhausted by the end of the distributions, it is very rewarding to get to see the gratitude that most of these families have for the gifts they receive. I also love the organization and planning aspects of these distributions, as well as the amount of people I get to help in one day (although we plan for months!).

And, by the way, I accomplished one of my goals as a result of this distribution....I made it into the Mt. Vernon Signal. After not making it into the picture at the Christmas distribution, I hoped to make it in before leaving Kentucky...and I did. I would send a link, but alas, our paper is not online! But they wrote a great article and I was happy to have a picture to cut out for my scrapbook some day!!