Going to school? This church has your back(pack)
LEE ZION, EDITOR
Harrison County Times-Reporter
“Why are you so shy?” Angie Aronson asks the 9-year-old as he walks in the door. But Javion Petite doesn’t answer.
Petite has entered the church with his 3-year-old brother, Giovanni, and his mother, Taylor Thomas. The three of them showed up Saturday morning at the Missouri Valley United Methodist Church as church members gave out free backpacks and school supplies, kindergarten through 12th grade.
Kids had about 200 backpacks to chose from — everything from Bluey, to dinosaurs, to Minnesota Vikings colors to Disney princesses, all of this for the Minnesota Valley Schools Back-to-School Program. There are also pencils, notebooks, books and more items to fill those backpacks. Items are donated by members of the community and are sorted by grade level.
Thomas described what brought her in.
“Backpacks,” she said. “I saw the notice.”
Javion is going into fourth grade.
“I’m a little excited,” he said. “I’m trying to learn a little more about nanotechnology.”
Why nanotechnology? His mother answers for him.
“He wants to make a suit. Like a supersuit.”
That supersuit will give him special powers, Javion said. Hey, every 9-year-old is allowed to dream.
Giovanni, meanwhile, picks out a book about the Pout-Pout Fish.
“Can you say thank you?” his mother asks.
“Thank you, bye,” Javion answers.
Then another group comes in. Kaitlynn Dooley, 14, will be a freshman at high school, while her older brother Forest, 18, will be a freshman in college.
Although they’re surrounded by backpacks, with so many different designs, Kaitlynn doesn’t want any of them.
“None of them stick out,” she said.
“Here. This one does,” volunteer A.J. Evart announced, holding up a backpack.
“I’m not getting a unicorn one. I’m a freshman,” Kaitlynn said.
Besides, she has a leopard-print backpack at home, she said.
The best part about the day? Kaitlynn points to her mother, Nikki.
“Her crying, because it’s funny.”
Nikki protests.
“My eyes are watering.”
“Yeah. Your eyes are so watering.”
“They were not!”
“They were watering when you said, ‘I have two freshmen!’”
Ruth Latto, helping out at the event, described what makes the day special.
“Seeing the bright little faces of all the kids. The giggling, how happy they are to get the stuff.”
Most of them are excited. A few are not happy they have to go back to school, and Aronson demonstrated by making a face.
The only downside about the day was not enough people showed up. That means there are lots of supplies left over.
Extra supplies will be donated to the schools. Or, anyone who would like to pick up supplies can call Melba Struble at 402-651-2257, Angie Aronson at 402-670-4366, or Diane Hoyt at 712-216-1602..
