EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts and his staff teamed up with Pct. 4 Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden and members of his agency Monday to deliver the proceeds from the Judge and Constable’s School Supply Drive. The annual event provides school supplies to underprivileged elementary school students in East Montgomery County. The need is so great that educators often spend their own money to help their students. The Precinct 4 School Supply Drive has helped bring the issue to light and the outpouring of support for the drive continues to grow.
“Every year I’m touched by how East Montgomery County residents come together to provide for the children whose families are having financial difficulty,” Judge Metts said. “I think this is so important because a child who has to start school without the basic essentials is likely to feel bad about themselves, which can cause lasting damage. If we can do anything to prevent that, I think it’s very important we make that effort.”
Constable Hayden, who supplied his military surplus transport vehicle and the manpower for the delivery said he was glad to be a part of the endeavor, as are the other participants from the Constable’s Office.
“I grew up here and I’m raising my family here, just like a lot of our deputies, command staff, and office staff, so we have very personal reasons for caring about the children of this community, and in many cases, we know them,” Constable Hayden said. “We also have professional reasons, because these kids need every advantage they can get now so they don’t wind up dealing with us later in our official capacities.”
The donations that made the drive a success came in all sizes, from people ranging from those on “fixed” incomes to owners of local businesses. However, the largest donation came from the Porter Walmart, in the amount of $2,500. County Commissioners approved acceptance of the check for the drive at their last regular meeting and a large amount of school supplies were purchased with those funds.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the drive last week by having supervised trustees help load the military surplus vehicle. Despite a couple of unavoidable delays, the event was another success and Precinct 4 hopes to help even more children next year.
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