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A girl looks at book bags on Sunday during the Back 2 School Cookout and School Supplies Giveaway at Martin Luther King Park.
Members of Cedar Grove Baptist Church give away bags of school supplies during the Community Outreach Back to School Event at Martin Luther King Park.
The annual Community Appreciation Day was held Aug. 12 at the Opportunities Industrialization Center.
A girl looks at book bags on Sunday during the Back 2 School Cookout and School Supplies Giveaway at Martin Luther King Park.
Members of Cedar Grove Baptist Church give away bags of school supplies during the Community Outreach Back to School Event at Martin Luther King Park.
The annual Community Appreciation Day was held Aug. 12 at the Opportunities Industrialization Center.
Multiple events last weekend paired helping hands with helping hearts to provide back to school supplies to local children along with other means of support.
The Opportunities Industrialization Center on Friday continued a seven-year tradition by giving out 250 supply kits with folders, notebooks, pencils, pens, glue sticks and loose-leaf paper during its annual Community Appreciation Day.
OIC Chief Health Operations Officer Sherri Bryant said the giveaway was the final activity celebrating National Health Center Week. Titled “Community Health Centers: The Chemistry for Strong Communities,” the OIC event also featured food trucks, bouncy houses for the kids, a DJ, Zumba and line dancing.
A Community Outreach Back to School Event was held Saturday at Martin Luther King Park. Under tents provided by the Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Department, which also provided the use of tables, chairs and a stage, volunteers handed out canvas book bags, brightly colored cloth sacks and Piggly Wiggly shopping bags full of notebook paper, tablets, crayons, pencils and markers.
Event coordinator Cassandra Whitaker said she had helped with similar school supply projects before, but the last time had been three years ago, before the pandemic.
“This isn’t costing anybody anything,” Whitaker said, “but it really helps the families who need it.”
Whitaker credited multiple sponsors of the event, including members of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Piggly Wiggly of Rocky Mount, members of the Street Stunnaz Bikers Club, the Lady Stunnaz Social Club, Exodus Recuperation Center, Adrienne’s Mental Glow and the Edgecombe County Health Department.
Cooler weather, the smell of hot dogs sizzling in a cooker and music provided by two musicians drew more than 100 people. DJ Uncle Mike played lively gospel tunes and alternated with singer Alice Manning, who sat perched on a small stage with her keyboard.
Kelvin Whitaker and Marcella King of the Street Stunnaz Bikers Club served hot dogs, chips and cold drinks to the crowd.
“It feels good to give back,” Whitaker said, adding that his group had had a book bag drive several weeks ago at an event in front of Big Lots.
Nora Roberson of the Exodus Recuperation Center, which offers support to women struggling from alcohol or drug addiction, was scooping snow cones. While acknowledging that the focus of the event was children, she said she was there to meet the families who came with them.
“There could be someone in their families who has a problem with alcohol or drugs,” Roberson said, “and that affects the children, too.”
Roberson’s company in Rocky Mount offers employment training, Christian 12-step recovery and classes in Bible study, arts and crafts, healthy cooking and self-care.
Adrienne Sharpe of Adrienne’s Mental Glow handed out plastic baggies with tablets, glue sticks, a snack and a stress ball.
“Your teacher should let you have this in class,” Sharpe told a child. “When you get stressed in school, just take it and squeeze it.”
Glenn Filkins of the Edgecombe County Health Department manned a tent with information for parents on vaccines for preteens and teens along with multiple pamphlets such as “A Teens’ Guide to HIV and AIDS,” “Helping Your Teen Build Healthy Relationships,” “Fitness Facts” and “Eating Smart.”
Filkins said people seemed to appreciate the information, particularly in regard to healthy lifestyle choices.
The annual Nash County Sheriff’s Office Back to School Bash was held Saturday at the Nash County Sheriff’s Office parking lot.
Deputies cooked and served 1,200 hot dogs and gave away nearly 400 book bags and assorted school supplies.
The event also featured snow cones for the kids, a bubble and foam machine, K-9 demonstrations and demonstrations by the Special Response Team.
The fourth annual Community Day was held Saturday at In His Way Ministry at 601 N. Fairview Road.
“The purpose was to bring resources to the community, to inform the community about things happening, and also for people to see the hand of God in our church,” said the Rev. Angela King.
King said nearly 120 free book bags were given out that included pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, file folders, crayons, scissors, notebook paper and earbuds for older students to use with computers.
Among those resources present were Galileo Health Mobile of Greenville, providing blood pressure and diabetes screenings, Wisdom Tooth of Rocky Mount with tooth kits and information about dental health, the Edgecombe County Health Department and the Carolina Family Health Center.
Also present were personnel from the Rocky Mount Police Department, Rocky Mount Fire Department and the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office.
Information about pre-K and kindergarten school sign-ups was provided by the Downeast Partnership for Children and Nash County Public Schools. Braswell Memorial Library staff signed participants up for library cards and checked books out of their bookmobile. Also manning a table were representatives of BEECS Foundation Builders Academy.
Participants enjoyed muffins provided by Tyson Foods and soda and water donated by Pepsi, along with musical performances by the In His Way Ministry Praise Team, God’s House of Prayer, First Baptist Church of Battleboro and soloist Devin Dolberry.
On Sunday, Martin Luther King Park was the scene of a Back 2 School Cookout and School Supplies Giveaway that included free food, a live DJ and a bounce house.
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