KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hickman Mills Community Empowerment Center reports the Hickman Mills School District has a poverty rate of 20% and a child poverty rate of 36%, which is about 1.5 times the rate for Jackson County.
However, with the help of many partners, parents like Shermane and Tyler Williams were able to benefit from the center's Because We Care back-to-school event.
“We are three months post kidney transplant, so these items really helped our family in a very special way,” Shermane Williams said. "It’s always a blessing to give than to receive, but this was definitely a blessing we are receiving today."
The goal of the event was to ensure students and their families have a clean start to the school year, with not just school supplies but toiletries and other necessities.
Jenelle Lester with the Hickman Mills Community Empowerment Center said it's all about supporting the community.
“We just wanted our kids to be able to go back to school feeling confident in themselves,” she said. “We want to see our community grow, we want to see our community empowered."
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