A school in one small town in Texas has brought hope throughout the community by launching a student-led grocery store to help the families in need.
The high school Linda Tutt in Sanger opened up this store in November to help students get what they need, including toilet paper, basic food items, meat, etc.
And, to purchase a product, they don’t need money: they need to make a good deed.
Amazing School: Make a Kind Deed & Buy from the Store
According to the school’s principal, Anthony Love, their school district has 2750 students enrolled and 43 percent of them are in economic disadvantage.
Unfortunately, 3.6 percent of their students are homeless. So, the school wanted to offer them support and ensure they have food on the table.
To make this project a reality, they partnered up with First Refuge Ministries, Texas Health Resources, and the Albertsons grocery store.
This store is entirely led by students and they manage the inventory, stock up the shelves, give students bags, and help them find what they’re looking for.
One of the juniors at the school, Preston Westbrook, is among the group of students who manages the store.
He says he loves his school and that he helps out in all he can. He considers himself a helper and wants to ensure students get what they need.
He also added that this store cheered up families during the pandemic, which was particularly important for those who lost family members. The students coming in the story are always carrying a smile on their face, says the student.
How Does the Buying Process in the Store Work?
The students from the whole school district which is north of Dallas and their families can purchase anything from the store using points that are set depending on their family’s size.
But this isn’t the only way to earn points-they can also get them for outstanding school performance, by making a good deed that the staff and teachers give them points for or for doing chores throughout the school such as assisting in the library or offering mentoring to the younger students.
Love explains that they push the students for earning points through kindness and going above and beyond in their class.
They celebrate such things and the students love to come home and tell their families they got a reward for doing something good.
Although a small school district, they always try to teach their students the pivotal aspect of giving back.
This program has already been an inspiration to other school districts in Texas- other districts are already asking how to launch their own store like this one.
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