Community Helps Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling ‘Stuff the Bus’
Emma Delk Trending
WHEELING -- Notebooks, pencils, crayons, books and more filled the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple's bus as community members dropped off their donations at the church's annual "Stuff the Bus" event.
The drop-off day is just one of the many back-to-school activities the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple has prepared to help students be ready and excited for the new school year. Items collected on Saturday will be used at the distribution of school supplies taking place on Aug. 19 at the North Wheeling Community Dream Center.
Other events organized by the church include a "Back To School Festival," which will take place from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Wheeling Park Amphitheater. A free health screening conducted by WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital also took place Friday in the church's fellowship hall.
Sister Janice Peyton took the reins in overseeing the "Stuff the Bus" drop-off, as organizer Suffragan Bishop Darrell Cummings had to attend a funeral on the collection day.
She explained that when community members bring donations, they're not only "blessing the church" but also "blessing all the children that are going back to school."
"We have this event every year, collecting clothes, shoes, schools and supplies to give away," said Peyton. "We're trying to be a blessing to others."
The church collects items "across the board," explained Peyton, including monetary donations that will go towards the "Adopt a Student" program the church hosts.
The "Adopt a Student" program begins next Saturday at 10 a.m. at the North Wheeling Community Dream Center. At the event, parents can bring their kids to pick up school supplies, clothes and food.
Monetary donations will be used by the church to buy supplies for the "Adopt a Student" program. Next Saturday, "adopted" students will go down a line of supplies bought by the church from donations and fill up their backpacks with "whatever they need, from colored pencils to crayons," said Payton.
Dee King, a church member who has been volunteering for "Stuff the Bus" for the past five years, said that over time she has taken note of items that kids need apart from the typical school supplies that she donates.
"After a couple of years, you kind of realized what kids are needing and stuff they want," she explained. "I began donating socks every year because I saw a lot of kids come, and they didn't have socks in the wintertime."
Any leftover items after the distribution next Saturday will be used in December for Bethlehem Apostolic's Christmas Giveaway.
"The kids will have all they need and then some for the fall, so we put out school supplies again in December," said Peyton. "Even though a student had all their notebooks for classes in the fall, they might need another one for a new class."
Giving away supplies multiple times a year helps fulfill the church's goal of "helping students along all year," noted Peyton. Apart from students, she explained that the program also benefits teachers, who do not have to buy as many materials for students who do not have them.
She added the event also lightens parents' burdens, as they will not have to worry about spending any money they may not have to send their kids back to school.
To fulfill this mission of having supplies ready to give to children throughout the year, Peyton stressed that Bethlehem Apostolic collects donations "at any time," not just during donation drives. To organize a donation to the church, contact Bethlehm Apostolic Temple at 304-233-8899.
"The Ohio Valley is known for helping each other, and this is one way people can do that," said Peyton. "Together, we can bless students, teachers and parents."