Housing Authority, Genesis, Welvista team up for school-supply giveaway
Howard Nettles, Director of Community Outreach/Recruiting at Genesis Healthcare, hands out donated backpacks to kids last week. PHOTO BY DAWSON JORDAN.
Welvista, the Darlington Housing Authority and Genesis give out lunch and backpacks last week. PHOTOS BY DAWSON JORDAN
Jaime Steen and Mark Face passing out food to the kids. PHOTO BY DAWSON JORDAN
Nichole Gibson with Welvista assisting with information. PHOTO BY DAWSON JORDAN
From Staff Reports
On Aug. 5, the Housing Authority of Darlington, Genesis Healthcare and Welvista teamed up to donate backpacks full of school supplies and lunch to local children. The event began at noon in front of the Housing Authority and ended an hour earlier than anticipated due to the large crowd. Jaime Steen, Executive Director of the Housing Authority, said, “We want to thank all the people who contributed.” Many of the supplies were donated from churches, businesses and individuals who understand the yearly expense that new supplies bring. Howard Nettles, Director of Community Outreach/Recruiting for Genesis and a City Council member, stated, “This is one of the ways Genesis reaches out to the community we serve.” Steen said they ran out of supplies by 1 p.m., an hour into the event. She said the school-supply list for her child came to about $100 this year. “I imagine families that live off very little – there’s no way they could afford that.” She said many people aided the effort. “We had people coming by, dropping off paper, pencils, all week.” For more on the Housing Authority, go to darlingtonha.org.
