MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The threats towards Memphis schools over the last several days have caused fear and anxiety in lots of parents and students, but one local church is trying to combat that by turning that worry into something positive for the community.
The Word Church of Memphis, located on Park Avenue, handed out thousands of school supplies, water, and snacks to Memphis students for free today, Sept. 21, 2024. This follows several threats being made in the Memphis Shelby County School (MSCS) district since Wednesday, Sept. 18, when several schools went on lockdown.
“I have two children myself, one's in high school and as a senior, and one's in eighth grade and middle school,” said Pastor Aaron Litzsey. “And we all were kind of on the edge of our seats when we heard the news. We do a lot of community service in our area, worked with a couple of our community partners. We made the suggestion that we do something positive, to bring a positive light to what could have been a really negative and bad situation.”
The church partnered with Urban Promise 901 and other community organizations to get thousands of notebooks, pens, folders, and more for the community. More than 500 people stopped by the event.
“You just never know how many people are gonna come out, or if you're really gonna make a difference,” Damon Noel, The Word Church member and a volunteer, said. “But there were numerous people, numerous teachers, numerous students, just people who would drop by and say, What are you doing? Hey, do you have any kids in school?"
Litzey said he hopes other people see Saturday's activities and inspire everyone to make a commitment to better Memphis’ youth, especially during difficult times.
“One of the models that we use here is just to show them love, and that's everyday,” he said. “Listen to them, because many times our children are dealing with some very difficult situations that cause a lot of anxiety and frustration, and even parents are dealing with a lot of frustration. And so this today was an opportunity for us to boost their morale, teachers, support families and to show love to students.”