JORDAN BROOKS

jordan.brooks@middlesboronews.com

Shopping for groceries will be a little easier for several families of Bell County students this holiday season.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, all preschool through eighth grade students in the Bell County district received a $120 gift card to Save-A-Lot.

The cards were distributed Dec. 19-20. To receive a gift card, each student had to be with a parent, guardian or someone who was listed on their pick-up list. Eligibility was limited to children in preschool through eighth grade who were enrolled in a Bell County school on or before Dec. 14.

“When kids are on break from school that are typically used to getting school meals, a little extra could be helpful,” said Ashley Burgess, a representative of Save the Children. “It gets harder and harder to put food on the table, and they really wanted to send a contribution to go to the kids in the elementary schools.”

According to Burgess, the anonymous donor contacted Save the Children and asked them to provide grocery vouchers. With there being four Save-A-Lot stores in both Harlan and Bell counties, the choice became clear as to where the vouchers would go.

“Save-A-Lot has been amazing,” said Burgess. “They have worked so many hours behind the scenes, and we’re glad we got the opportunity to work with them, and we’re glad to have gotten the opportunity to work with the donor.”

The donor made a similar donation to families in Harlan County.