“I’m friends with one of the guidance counselors at one of our local schools, and she told me she kept a counselor’s closet with toothpaste, toothbrushes and other things, that way students could just come by there and pick items up,” Keaton said.
Around the same time, another WMU leadership team member shared about how her son, who has special needs, sometimes needs a change of clothes at school.
Debbie Nail, ECBA WMU/women’s ministry director, said that was eye-opening for them.
“We were talking about needs that children have and how parents are not always able and available to run to school and take a change of clothes,” said Nail, a member of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cullman. “We thought that would be a good possibility for a ministry for our whole community.”
So they sent out questionnaires to the counselors at all the schools within the local area of ECBA, and the response was positive, especially from the schools in low socioeconomic areas, Nail said.
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From there, the Jack and Jill Ministry was born. Through the ministry, ECBA churches collect hygiene and necessity items as well as emergency back-up clothes for anyone who might need a change of clothes due to unforeseen circumstances.
Vacation Bible School is a big time for these kinds of drives, Keaton said.
She said the team gets lists of what the schools need the most and try to meet those needs.
“Aside from deodorant, feminine products are the greatest need,” she said. “We’ve also done clothing for all sizes, all ages.”
This year, they’ve supplied 10 schools with items, and they keep the shelves stocked at the ECBA office for needs that might come up during the year.
“We recently got a call from one of our schools who was in need of pants and deodorant, so we did a restock for her,” Keaton said.
Nail said the name of the ministry came from the nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill. In the nursery rhyme, a boy and girl take a tumble down a hill and need a hand.
“That pretty much encapsulates the whole missions focus — we want to help where there’s a need,” Nail said.
For more information, visit ecba316.org/jack-jill-ministry.
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