MONROE — According to the Department of Education, more than 93 percent of educators report paying for school supplies. Elementary, middle and high school teachers attending Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Monroe were no exception. Because of a lack of funding at their schools, every teacher at the parish planned to take on the burden of buying extra supplies for their classroom this fall.

To help ease the financial burden these dedicated teachers were facing, Father Benjamin Roberts invited his parishioners to join him in supporting the teachers who attend their parish. This call to action was also a way for the parish to participate in the “50 Acts of Charity” to celebrate the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary.

Each teacher provided a list of items they needed to purchase personally for their classrooms, and Father Roberts created an Amazon Wish List to make it easy for his parishioners to buy individual items, drop off supplies at the parish office, or make a cash donation so the parish could purchase supplies directly.

Thanks to Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners’ efforts, at least 12 teachers received items to organize and prepare their classrooms and essential school supplies for students, including paper, pencils, erasers, notebooks, and even tissue paper needed throughout the school year.

Father Roberts was very thankful to everyone for the outpouring of support for their teachers as they returned to school this fall and hoped it would encourage other churches to support teachers in their communities.

— Virginia Garramone