The Child Concern of Butler County donated $5,000 to Poplar Bluff Schools from revenue of its recent building sale in an effort to stock ‘giving closets’ across the district prior to the holiday break last month.
Each R-I school, grades K-12, received $500 – along with the other school systems in the county – to primarily go toward student food insecurity as well as clothing needs. Outgoing board president Judy Duncan personally visited each campus to ensure a need was there while distributing the checks.
“We decided to sell the building and just be a charity, helping when we felt like there was a need,” Duncan explained. “I got this idea around November to contribute to each school because I know most have food closets. We were trying to get the money to school before kids left for the holidays.”
The nonprofit previously operated the Child Concern Center in order to generate funds. The Poplar Street facility shut down for several months during the global health crisis, and struggled ever since to find enough volunteers to manage the resell shop, according to Duncan. “Finally we were kind of paying out more than we were taking in,” she continued.
With other such thrift shops popping up in the community over the decades, the board opted to sell its headquarters last year and redistribute its inventory while still operating the charity. The Child Concern was reportedly established in 1975 as a ministry of First United Methodist Church under the late Irene Wilkerson.
“We wanted to keep her legend alive and main goal which, since the beginning, was helping needy children and families,” said Duncan, who was succeeded as president by Tiffany Healy this year. The board meets occasionally when they have business to attend to at Kraft, Miles & Tatum, where board treasurer Josh Love is employed.
Tax-deductible contributions to the Child Concern of Butler County may be made to: PO Box 3891, Poplar Bluff, MO 63902.
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Cutline: Judy Duncan (left), outgoing president of the Child Concern of Butler County, delivers a check on Wednesday, Dec. 19, to Junior High Principal Candace Warren.