Gathering school supplies for as many as 4,300 students takes a while — and it’s not cheap.
First United Methodist Church continued its now-longstanding tradition of gathering and distributing virtually all the school supplies needed for Emporia school students right before classes started. Organizer Dana Roemer starts the buying process rather early in the year, which helps to trim the final cost.
Most of the funding comes from the Jones Trust, with the rest coming from church members and private citizens.
The church effort actually began as a much smaller venture. First United Methodist initially worked with Walnut Elementary on a limited school supply project before expanding districtwide after church member Tyler Curtis challenged other members of the congregation to help all students.
Thanks to the church and its partners, the only things parents have to purchase are backpacks and Kleenex packages.
