Senior Pastor Renea Collins looks over some of the school supplies that Kingdom Grace Fellowship Church has collected for Prospect Elementary School students.
Prospect Elementary School students who don’t have notebooks, pencils, crayons and other supplies will get a helping hand from a neighborhood church.
Kingdom Grace Fellowship Church, located on Reba Avenue diagonally opposite the school, will distribute sacks of supplies before Prospect’s open house on Thursday, Aug. 21.
“I talked with Mrs. (Kirsten) DeVito, the principal, about the high poverty level among Prospect families. It troubled my heart to know that so many children would not have the supplies they need to start school,” Pastor Collins said.
She shared the need with her congregation and found an outpouring of support in the form of donated supplies and cash contributions to buy more. Friends of the church also have donated.
“We will set up tables at the school from 4:30 to 6 p.m. next Thursday, Aug. 21, to distribute supplies. We also will serve hot dogs, chips and drinks,” Pastor Collins said.
Prospect’s open house is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sherman and Woodland will have open houses during the same time that night.
“We are so grateful for the support of Kingdom Grace Fellowship Church,” DeVito said. “These supplies will help many of our students get off to a successful start in the new school year.”
Starting in October the church also will partner with Berean Baptist Church to sponsor Kidzone, an after-school tutoring program for Prospect students.
“We are not a church that just comes together on Sunday, then goes home,” said Pastor Collins, who came to the Mansfield church in April from Shiloh Baptist Church. “We want to have a positive impact in our community.”