- November 26, 2024
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It took five trips for Jody McLeer to load Buddy Taylor Middle School’s donation of plastic bags. The office of Assistant Principal Paige Beamesderfer was filled so much that the bags spilled through the door, down the hall and into the offices of other administrators.
The school collected 32,668 plastic bags for Matthew’s Hope during a two-week competition.
Matthew’s Hope is a homeless ministry in Winter Garden, which provides services for those in need through an accountability system. One of the many services provided is the distribution of sleeping mats crocheted of plastic bags. It takes 1,000 bags and several months to complete a mat.
“Helping the homeless people felt good because they are making a safe place for them to sleep so no bugs from the dirt will get on them,” said seventh-grade student Cade Goodwin, who personally brought in 2,060 bags for donation.
Goodwin’s class, led by teacher Leo Booth, won the school competition by totaling 6,337 bags. Jorge Lopez’s class came in second, and the front office staff came in third.
“It made me feel good because our class came together for a group project, and it was good that we could do something together instead of as individuals,” said Kendall Harrington, a student.
Beamesderfer said that was the overall feeling throughout the school. “There was a camaraderie of everyone coming together for this common goal,” she said.
But the school was just one part of an even bigger bag drive happening at Omnicare, in Daytona Beach. McLeer had reached out to the school for their participation in a team-building project happening at her work. Omnicare was spending 30 days of giving, by collecting bags.
“We were trying to think of something that doesn’t cost the staff money but is a team building activity and an easy way to help someone in need,” McLeer said.
With the help of the middle school, McLeer collected the most bags, giving her office team the win. But the real winner was Matthew’s Hope, which received a total of 130,000 bags from the office.
Because the ministry received so many bags at one time, they had to borrow a storage facility for the overflow. The total donation will make 130 mats and the need has been filled for plastic bag donations.
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