- February 8, 2025
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Six students are starting out the new school year with a little more in their backpacks thanks to the Port Orange Church of the Nazarene.
On Sunday, Aug. 13, during a back-to-school bash, the church presented Horizon Elementary students from third, fourth and fifth grade with new backpacks filled with new school supplies that their families might not have been able to afford themselves. Along with the backpacks, the children received notebooks, pencils, rulers, scissors, tissues, paper, erasers, highlighters and glue sticks.
The funds, a total of $247, were raised during the church's five-day vacation Bible school held in June. Lynne Kodey, the church's Sunday school discipleship ministries international chairperson, said church leaders decided to give to the Horizon Elementary students as several of the people who attend the church work at the school. Last year the church donated school uniforms to Sweetwater Elementary students.
"They wanted the kids to come prepared for whatever their classroom wanted," Kodey said. "We didn't want any kid to feel like just because their parents couldn't afford it they couldn't come without any materials."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 20% of the population in Volusia County under the age of 18 lives in poverty. This number was the same for the state as well.
A report from the Huntington Backpack Index indicates that for the 2016-2017 school year, parents can expect to pay $659 to cover the cost of supplies and extracurricular activities for each elementary school child, an increase of 1.5% from 2015. This number jumped to $1,489 when a student reached high school, which was a 6.8% increase form 2015.
Kodey said the church has made it a priority to spend money raised during the vacation Bible school on a local mission project. She added that the school had a list of materials needed that church members then went out and bought.
"It just made sense to give the money to people in the community, this is one way to help people who are less fortunate," Kodey said. "This way if there's a need, the school makes sure they are provided with the materials."
