SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Shelby County Schools needs the community's help to ensure students feel comfortable in a class by donating to its 4th annual Necessity Drive.
Donations for personal hygiene products like deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and feminine products are what SCS is asking for.
Other needs the district is seeing are for PPE items like masks and hand sanitizer.
The donated items get disbursed to district schools for "necessity closets" where they can be given to students that need it whether they just forgot that morning or perhaps don't have what they need at home.
The purpose, SCS leaders said, is to ensure students have what they need so they can stay focused on their education while at school.
”If they need those items we don’t want them to feel uncomfortable in a classroom setting and they can’t focus and learn," Crystal Cook, of SCS Family and Community Engagement, said. "I couldn’t if I knew I had a need that wasn’t filled and I had to wait until I got home. That’s just really detrimental.”
The Necessity Drive happens Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at East High School. People can pull up and drop off donations without having to get out of the car.
People that can't make the drive can drop off donations at the Board of Education or they can donate money through Cash App to $SUPPORTSCS.