The Casa kids have started school. We have been busy buying uniforms and their supply lists are just starting to come home. I expect to make two or three more trips to town before we can say that is done. Yesterday, I spent the day buying school supplies, but not for the Casa kids.
Recently, we received a container from Fairview Heights Church of Christ, our sponsoring congregation. On that container were many backpacks full of school supplies. Not everyone wanted to buy supplies and put on that container. Many sent money to buy school supplies. Much of that money came last year after school had started. Parkview Baptist school in Baton Rouge had a huge drive to raise money. Those kids worked hard and raised over $2000.00. They sold cookies and all sorts of things. Vanessa Hill raised a lot of money for school supplies. Money came from other places as well. In May or June, we can't spend that much money on school supplies. The need is not there in the same way it is in February. That money was held until now.
I decided to start spending some of that money. We are grateful for the backpacks sent by Fairview Heights, but there are so many more children that need supplies. Matt went with me, as did Melissa and Mary. I decided to go to Utilies de Honduras. I can walk in the door and hand them a list and they start pulling the product.
We had two lists. The caretaker at the farm, Roberto, has four children that needed school supplies. Marc said he would take care of it. Melissa had a very detailed list for his four children. Melissa and Mary handed that list to one clerk. And I handed mine to another. Marc told me to spend $2000.00 now. I was thinking, "oh, let's spend it all now." Thankfully, I listened to Marc. I decided to not buy the specialized notebooks, but just the basic supplies for 100 children. 100 blue pens, 100 red pens, 100 erasers, 100 pencil sharpeners, 200 pencils, 100 scissors, 100 glues, 100 boxes of colors and colored pencils, 100 notebooks, 100 packages of construction paper. The looks on some of the clerks' faces were quite amusing.
A clerk is helping Melissa and Mary fill the order for Roberto's children. Five of those small baskets were filled with that one order.
100 boxes of crayolas and 100 boxes of colored pencils
Pens, pencils, scissors, and glue
Checking out was fun.
That looks like a large total, but it was about half of what I wanted to spend.
After all was said and done, I had only spent about $1000.00. I said to duplicate this order while we take the first load to the car. Some of the clerks said,"is she serious?'' One clerk grabbed the list from my hand and ran for the back of the store. We headed for the car.
This is the first order. One more to go just like it.
All of this went into the trooper fairly easily. Had there not been another car, it would have been a tight squeeze to get all of both orders in my car.
We went back inside and there was a different kind of busyness. We had depleted most of the stock and they were having to haul cases of school supplies right through the middle of the mall and into the store. Again, check out was fun. We made the second trip to the other car. There was still room in both cars for us to ride, but I am sure glad we didn't try to spend all the available money at one time.
I did not ask for anything from Utilies but for them to fill my orders. I did not know it until after the second order was paid for, but they graciously gave me a 10% discount. I think I just became a customer for life.
I probably will not participate in distributing these supplies, but I had fun just knowing 200 more kids will receive them.
Thanks to Parkview Baptist School, Vanessa Hill, the ladies' Bible class at Borger Church of Christ, and all others who donated to buy school supplies.
Terri
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