School Supply Donation

At the Wednesday evening USD 253 Board of Education meeting, the Board recognized the Emporia First United Methodist Church for its annual donation of school supplies. Mrs. Sara Bashaw, a congregation member representing the FUMC, accepted the recognition on behalf of the First United Methodist Church, the United Women in Faith organization, and many other community partners. 

For ten years now, the FUMC has been donating school supplies to Emporia Public Schools students.  Originally when the project began, the church provided school supplies for students at Walnut Elementary.  Soon after that, the church decided to expand the school supply project to all students in PreK-12th grade.  The church donation includes pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, paper, scissors, highlighters, dry-erase markers, and anything else that students need to start school each year. The donation of school supplies allows every student to begin the year on an even playing field with all students having the same and necessary supplies.  The school donation project is funded through congregational and community giving, including civic organizations, other churches, and the Jones Foundation.  The budget for school supplies is typically around $40,000.

“Our goal for this project is to provide school supplies to all children in Emporia, easing the financial burden to their families of back-to-school time and most importantly, providing the tools necessary for all children to be successful in school, said Bashaw. “We are excited to have been chosen this year as a participating organization in the Emporia Community Foundation (ECF) Match Day on November 13th.  We are very appreciative of the donors for the ECF Match Fund that will benefit so many worthy projects in our area, and our other donors that make our School Supply Project possible.”

Members of the Board of Education expressed their gratitude and appreciation for helping to relieve the financial burden of school supplies for district students and their families.