The “Serve Our Schools” ministry is an annual event in which United Methodist Churches across the Rio Grande Valley collectively work to help serve local public schools. SOS is an initiative started in our church in 2012. Each year we provide socks, shoes, and underwear for the nurses at three elementary schools to distribute as the need arises to children in the La Feria schools who need some extra help. We are also blessed to be able to provide 6 meals on weekends throughout the school year to 30 children who the counselors deem are food insecure. We feel we can make a truly great impact on the lives of children and their families who need a helping hand through this program. While the event centers around a specific work day at the school, the program also attempts to help schools with their ongoing needs.
In September 2012 we adopted the needs of the David Sanchez Elementary School. On September 15, 2012, about 60 church members and community volunteers gathered to celebrate the event and to plant large shade trees around the children’s playground and landscape the entry areas. Backpacks were blessed for the launch of a new food backpack ministry to provide children in need with food on weekends. A shoe ministry was also launched to provide and sustain an supply of free shoes for children who need them. And finally, a tutoring program was launched to provide a group of volunteers to work with children who need help keeping up with their studies. All of these programs continue and are not ongoing ministries.
In September 2013 we adopted the needs of the C.E. Vail Elementary School. On September 14, 2013, about 80 church members and community voluteers gathered to work and celebrate the launch of several new ongoing ministries at that school. We collected coats for a new “Coat Closet” to provide coats for children who need them, shoes and socks for a new “Shoe Ministry,” books for a new children’s “Reading Program” and signed up volunteer mentors who will help the children with their reading. We also built and installed 50 new 4’x8′ bulletin boards outside of 45 classrooms for the children to display their work. Everything was intended to lift the moral of both children and teachers and help them be even more successful.
If you would like to help through a donation of your time or resources please contact us and we will help you help the children of our community as we continue to “Serve Our Schools” together. “Medical Release” and “Photo Release” forms below are provided for your convenience, and you can complete them and bring them when you come to help. Be watching for announcements regarding upcoming events.
Form-Emergency Medical Form-Photo Releas
