By Josh Bergeron

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Some Dallas County students may have an easier time getting through the day after three community organizations donated several boxes of school supplies.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Selma chapter of AARP and EvMarie’s Cupcakery joined forces to make the donation to the Dallas County School System.

The supplies included glue, notebooks, pencils, markers, notecards and printer paper. The groups specifically asked that the supplies go to homeless or nearly homeless children.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program member Evelyn Cox said she heard homelessness was a problem in local schools and felt compelled to take action.

“We must take care of the children,” Cox said. “We can pay now or pay later. We want our children to be as successful as possible.”

RSVP, the Selma chapter of AARP and EVMarie’s Cupcakery also pitched in to provide the school supplies.

Student homelessness isn’t a new problem in Dallas County schools.

The school system began examining homelessness eight years ago, and has received an outpouring of support from the churches and community organizations, homeless liaison Dorothy Irvin said. She said approximately 350 school children are homeless or nearly homeless in Dallas County.

“I didn’t realize there were so many homeless children,” she said. “It is all over the county. Children’s parents may work but they are making minimum wage and have to buy the necessities, like food.”

Some churches and community organizations have paid electricity bills through the school system to help impoverished families previously, Irvin said.

Irvin said housing could also be a problem because some impoverished high school students don’t have an active guardian and bounce between friends’ houses to avoid living on the street.

To make donations to the school system, Irvin suggested calling the central office at 875-3440.