A school in a small town in Texas has opened up a grocery store in November, run entirely by students. The aim of the initiative is to help out those people in their community suffering from the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Linda Tutt High School, in the town of Sanger, is situated in one of the poorest areas in the state and, as many as 43% of the students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Therefore, in many cases, the students are not only helping out their wider community but also helping out their friends and family.
The project is backed up by First Refuge Ministries, Texas Health Resources and the grocery store Albertsons, and seeks to provide produce at a discounted price. The store is also worked on a credit system whereby students who work at the store, or achieve good academic grades, can gain more credits and obtain more discounted produce. Students can also earn points by doing good deeds which teachers and staff can award points for, or completing jobs around school such as helping out in the library or mentoring elementary school students. They can then either donate the produce or take it themselves.
Preston Westbrook, a student who works at the school, told CNN:
"I love this school, I help out in everything we do. And I'm a helper, it's just what I do. I'm here to make sure students get what they need. The store helped bring families' spirits up during the pandemic, especially for people who lost family members. The students who come in are just so happy, they always have a smile on their face."
Anthony Love, the principal of the school, added:
"About 3.6% of our students are considered homeless. We thought it was important to support them and their families and make sure they had food on the table. In our school district, there's roughly 2,750 students enrolled and throughout the district 43% of these students are considered economically disadvantaged. One thing we really push for is students earning points by going above and beyond in the classroom or doing something kind. These are the things we celebrate, and we'll call home and tell mom and dad their student got a positive office referral and they get a reward for that. We are a small school district but we always try to teach our kids the importance of giving back to the community."
Due to the huge economic slowdown and recession caused by the global pandemic, many in the United States are now struggling financially.
While the employment rate has recently risen somewhat, in July 2020, as many as 51 million Americans were unemployed. There has also been a large number of people who have seen their small businesses go bankrupt and who have had their working hours significantly cut.
COMMENTS