In The News: Community rallies around resource room

Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic

Tiger Tailgate event and 'Stuff the Bus' effort yield massive amounts of clothing and school supplies, monetary donations and volunteer interest

Thanks to collections taken as it was being set up over the summer, the Newberg High School resource room was already pretty well stocked with clothes, school supplies and food before it was set to open.

But thanks an outpouring of support at the Newberg Booster Club's Tiger Tailgate event prior to the first football game of the season Aug. 30, the expanded resource room is now overflowing with items that many students otherwise wouldn't have had to start the school year.

"We had so many binders donated that there's not even enough room to store them down there," activities director Mark Brown said. "Literally, people were bringing armfuls. Families were walking up with two and three bags of new supplies that they had gone to the store for and bought. And it was a whole range of things, from pens and pencils to reams of paper to backpacks and clothes."

The Tiger Tailgate featured a Stuff the Bus supply drive and backpacks were identified by school staff as the No. 1 priority item for the event, which ended up collecting more than 40.

"That was one of the bigger items that's more expensive, so to get 40 of those on top of what we had already gathered beforehand over the summer — we are definitely set on that now — was great," Brown said.

Brown serves as the liaison between the school and the group of parent volunteers, led by Holly Gaunt, that has taken over operating the resource room, which in turn has freed up some high school staff to focus on their primary duties.

Gaunt said the tailgate event has helped the resource room effort in just about every way possible, including direct monetary donations, as well as increasing volunteer interest and boosting awareness.

The booster club also raised $1,000 from concessions at the football game that night and will be presenting a check to the resource room at Friday's home football game versus Tigard.

"I think the main vibe was they were grateful that there were people in the community who saw a need and also opened it up for an easy way for everybody to participate in," Gaunt said. "Everybody wants to make sure kids have the basic needs, but when you think about making sure everybody does, it gets too daunting and you just don't do anything."