It's Back to School Time!

Soapstone support of Baileywick Elementary School began over 10 years ago when then Bishop, Hope Morgan Ward, started “Congregations for Children” (C4C), a statewide initiative for the United Methodist Church to help children in public schools who were living in poverty and the teachers and staff who work with them.

Soapstone chose Baileywick because of its proximity to our church. The school is located on Baileywick Road. This is not a neighborhood that you would drive through and think “living in poverty,” but a large part of their student population is bussed to attend Baileywick from a neighborhood behind North Hills, where economic challenges are a fact of life. Over the years, Soapstone has partnered and contributed to Baileywick in many ways.

We have collected and donated school supplies, snacks, hygiene supplies for students, classroom supplies for teachers to use in their classrooms (to ease their out-of-pocket expenses for the things that are not supplied by Wake Co. Public Schools,) that enhance indoor and outdoor learning and Food Lion and Walmart gift cards to distribute as they learn of families in need.

In years past, at this time of the year, we would usually be kicking off a school supply drive, with students in mind. This year, that need has been fulfilled by an anonymous donation, and we would like to focus on instructional materials for the teachers to enhance student learning. A list has been provided, and you can drop off your donations at either the Norwood entrance during the week or either entrance on Sundays through August 20, 2025.

Read the full list of school supplies here.

What Soapstone does for Baileywick helps give these students a chance!! I was told a story about someone asking, “How do we do what we do? How do you provide so much?” The answer given was “because we’re Soapstone!”