Teachers at Southern Tioga School District Donate $6,000 in Hygiene Products to Local Food Banks

Blossburg — The teachers at the Southern Tioga School District understand many of the hardships their students experience and when Governor Wolf closed schools for the rest of the academic year, they knew they needed to act fast and do something to help.

Using $6,000 in funds from the Southern Tioga Education Association (STEA), members of the teachers’ union purchased personal hygiene items and diapers to be shared with food banks in Blossburg, Liberty, and Mansfield.

“Our local food pantries are meeting the hunger needs of our students by continuing to supply food, but students no longer have access to the ‘Care Closets’ located in our buildings,” said James Bogaczyk, STEA Union President and fifth grade teacher at Warren L. Miller Elementary.

Throughout the year, teachers donate items such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc. for students to take from the ‘Care Closet.’ To continue to offer these items even after the school closures, the teachers selected the Bloss Holiday Market as a local supplier and purchased all of the donation items from that store.

“What stands out to me is how fast teachers came together to ensure the wellbeing of their students,” Said Bogaczyk. “It’s easy for some of us to take something as simple as toothbrush for granted, but many of our students don’t have access to these personal hygiene items and we were proud to be able to step up and support not only our students, but a local business as well.”

  Hygiene items collected.

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