In Summer 2023, WS/FCS was joined by several amazing community partners - SPARK, ImageWorks Display, CLASS: Clemmons-Lewisville Action for Student Success, PepsiCo Adelante Employee Resource Group, Food Lion, School Health Alliance, Cici's Pizza, La Princesa, WS/FCS School Social Workers, and WS/FCS Multilingual Learners - to host a pop-up no cost school supply shop and back-to-school block party in the Peacehaven Estates Community outside of Clemmons. Together we served over 160 pre-K to high school students and their families who will start the year packed for success! Craft stations with backpack tags and keychains, lunch, and an ice cream treat topped off the gathering! A beautiful day for community joy. Read more using this link.

In 2021 we began a service project to build Thanksgiving Resource Kits for students and families in need over the holiday break across the district. The kits were designed to include supplemental food and nutrition, activities, books, and other resources from community partners. This effort has had a remarkable impact.. As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s time for our third serve effort!

Did you know that WS/FCS currently supports 226 families and 35 unaccompanied youth dealing with housing insecurity?

A portion of this year's project will support these students and their families in partnership with WS/FCS Project Hope. Families from schools without referrals to Project Hope will also be served. Our goal is to again serve 400 families.

This year we will build and serve two types of kits:

• Family Kit containing larger supplemental food items to help create meals for 3-4 days for families up to 7 individuals as well as snacks and activities.

• Unaccompanied Youth Kit containing quick and convenient meal items, hydration resources, snacks, and activities. Unaccompanied youth are students without parent or guardianship in their lives.

Recognizing the impact this project has had, a community stakeholder team has already been hard at work! a/perture, Bookmarks, Chartwells K-12, City of Winston-Salem Parks and Rec, Crisis Control Ministry, Food Lion, Forsyth Backpack, Kaplan Early Learning Co., Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, and Renfro Brands. In addition to their time, several of these partners have already committed over $20,000 in resources for this year's kits. 

Every little bit of good put together can overwhelm the world. This paraphrase of Desmond Tutu grounds this invite for us all to come together again to celebrate kindness, community, and connection as we serve 400 families for a third year.