FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — We want every child to have what they need in order to be successful in life.
Certain necessities can be a challenge for some families to provide, but there are people with warm hearts who want to lend a hand.
Let's face it — things cost more these days. It's becoming more expensive and some of us need a little extra assistance.
This is where The Nook comes in. It stands for Needs Of Our Kids. It's a group of volunteers who work to provide these needs for children in the Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District.
So what are those needs?
Maybe it's a pair of shoes. Maybe it's toiletries. Sometimes it might even be a gas card for parents or guardians. It's like an on demand operation. A volunteer is on-call throughout the day and the schools can let them know if there is a need. The volunteer then goes shopping to get whatever the child may need.
"You don't often think in the broader world that Franklin and Williamson County might have such a huge need," said Allison Gamble, one of the volunteers. "Every community has poverty, every community has families in crisis, and in the past few years, we've seen an uptick because things cost twice as much."
Not only are they able to help with clothes or shoes, but winter garments as well. The goal here is to make sure every child has what they need to succeed without their school day being interrupted.
It's anonymous. A nurse, social worker, or teacher can relay the message to these volunteers. If you'd like to learn more about how you can help, click here.
Do you have a story you'd like to see for Take Time to Smile? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
