WS Chronicle

Project Hope collaborated with Antioch Baptist Church to hold a back-to-school bash. The purpose of the event was to provide local kids with the necessary supplies needed to kick off the new school year on a positive note.

The back-to-school bash included games, food, face painting and prizes for the kids. Bobby Kimbrough Jr., Forsyth County Sheriff, even stopped by to hand out supplies to the children.

Project Hope is a program in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district that works with homeless students and their families.

“All of the kids were excited about getting book bags and we actually had more kids than we had book bags, so we will go back and reach out to those students,” said Tammi O’Quinn, Project Hope school district homeless liaison.”

The partnership between Antioch and Project Hope was created out of a conversation O’Quinn had with Antioch senior pastor Rev. Frederick L. Barnes Jr. Barnes had been looking for ways to reach out to the community and felt this would be a great way to get started with those efforts.

“She (O’Quinn) and I were talking one day and I told her that we were looking to do some type of outreach event and she started telling me about Project Hope, so I said this would be a good way for us to get out in the community and collaborate with them,” said Barnes. “I tell my people ‘we can’t just stay within the four walls of the church,’ we have got to get out in the community and assist, so that is how this came into play.

“Really this is the first event that Antioch has ever done, so this was just the first of many opportunities that Antioch will have to get out in the community, because I believe that the church and the pastor have to be visible in the community. I know that the church has the stigma that we always worship behind the four walls and the pastor stays within the church and does not get out in the community. I believe the church needs to go to the people and not always wait on the people to come to the church.”

O’Quinn said it was a lot of work to coordinate the event, but would love to see the event grow in the future to assist more children.

“In terms of being able to have those donations and supplies and everything, we need to make it a lot smoother, because it is a lot of work to plan an event where you don’t want to come out of pocket,” she said.  “I would just like to make the planning process easier and be able to get more children and give back more to the families and students that are homeless.”

For more information on Project Hope, please call 336-703-4278. The address is 2700 S. Main St., Winston-Salem.