These volunteers at Refuge Baptist Church packed school supplies that will be sent to needy children at schools throughout St. Clair County. From left are Bonnie Glass, Amy Jahnke, Chuck Jahnke, Willie Keith, Tim Ramsey, Becky Starr, Pastor Phillip Brown, Inez Burchfield and Eleanor Clinkscales.
Coordinator Eleanor Clinkscales said the supplies are for needy students in the St. Clair County School System as well as the Pell City School System.
Clinkscales, who has pursued this ministry for 24 years, said it does her heart good when she is able to help needy children throughout the county.
“I want to thank all the churches and businesses that have helped us,” she said.
Supplies being collected include construction paper, notebooks, rulers, three-ring binders, pencil boxes, dry-erase markers, highlighters, scissors, primary tablets, colored pencils, erasers, glue, crayons, folders, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, composition notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners and backpacks.
The need for backpacks has bee reduced, however, thanks to customers at Kay’s Auction in Ragland, Clinkscales said.
“The other weekend at an auction when the backpacks came up for sale, people would say ‘put one on my account and give it to Mrs. Clinkscales,’” she said. “They ended up giving us 29 backpacks. They are wonderful people.”
Refuge Baptist Church Pastor Phillip Brown said the school supplies collection is a blessing.
“We’ve been doing this with Mrs. Eleanor for quite a few years now. I’ll tell you what — it sends chills up my back to be able to help. She feeds people, helps school children. I’m glad she is part of our church. I thank all the churches that come together for this worthy cause. That tears down (walls) and bonds us together and makes us a community where we can go out and spread the Word and be a blessing to somebody’s life.”
Churches that participated this year included Broken Arrow Baptist, Coosa Valley Baptist, Friendship Baptist, Gray’s Chapel Baptist, Refuge Baptist, Riverside Baptist, Lister Memorial Baptist, Lawley’s Chapel Methodist, Pleasant Hill Methodist, Odenville Presbyterian and Lakewood Presbyterian.
Clinkscales said the program accepts referrals from agencies such as the St. Clair County Health Department and Community Action.
“A good example is when a little girl’s name was turned in to us,” Clinkscales said. “She has had several heart surgeries. Coosa Valley Baptist Church bought her shoes. Riverside Baptist WMU bought her a Dora the Explorer backpack. Refuge Baptist Church gave her school clothes. Other churches furnished her school supplies.”
Clinkscales said the supplies for each school system have been placed in the office of each school.
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com.
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