Back to School

With the support of many in our community, we have packed over 500 backpacks with everything from crayons and primary writing tablets to compasses and graphing calculators. And, now it is time for our scholars of all ages to return to the classroom.

Yesterday afternoon, I polled a small sampling of elementary school students to get their thoughts on going back to school. They were all looking forward to it, but when I asked why, their reasons varied.

Several looked forward to seeing friends again, to feel that connection to others. One was excited about being assigned to the classroom of a much-loved teacher. A young boy told me he needed to “get better at math” because he wants to be a scientist. One little girl, holding up a backpack almost as big as she was, stated that she was “ready.”

And then, one of the children said, “Because I get to eat breakfast and lunch there.”

How many of us as children looked forward to the end-of-summer’s return to the classroom because we would get to eat breakfast and lunch? I am guessing, not many.

Hungry tummies trump hungry minds every time.

And so, as our community’s children return today to classrooms, I encourage you to think about how you can support their needs to be fed physically, emotionally and academically.

Family Scholar House proudly partners with Dare to Care food bank so that children have enough to eat. Our organizations regularly work together to support families and provide supplemental food for children in our community.

We also want to make it easy for you to get involved. Family Scholar House students can always use school supplies – notebooks, pencils, pens, highlighters, and index cards top the list of needs – and Dare to Care makes sharing a meal with a family in need easy with “care barrels” located at local Kroger stores.

As you see the return of yellow school buses to our roads, think about the precious cargo they carry and how you can support the success of this next generation of leaders by helping them arrive at school hungry to learn and not just hungry.