ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. -- Teachers are not the only ones preparing for a potential walkout on April 2. Many community groups, like churches, are also getting ready to step up if the schools temporarily shut down.
Members of the Claremore Ministerial Alliance plan to open the kitchen at the First United Methodist Church so that students can have the meals they would usually be able to get at school. Volunteers with the group Mercy Chefs will work to prepare 1,000 meals per day if they're needed.
"We support what the teachers stand for," Senior Pastor Ray Crawford with the First United Methodist Church said. "In fact about 165 teachers volunteered to come and help us with this, so that's really great. We're going to need their help."
In nearby Collinsville, the ministerial alliance there is trying to do its part. Pastor Jim Carney with Current Church, who's the alliance president, got a phone call from the superintendent. He and several churches agreed to serve breakfast and lunch from two schools, the Collinsville Middle School and the Upper Elementary School, which would both close during the walkout.
"We don't know how many kids, don't know how long it's going to last," Carney said, "so we've got a ton of community support that people just want to be involved."
Two churches in Tulsa are teaming up and offering "Shutdown Bible School" to families that may need childcare. The Fellowship Lutheran Church and Bethany Christian Church announced that they plan to lead a day program for 100 students as long as the walkout might last.
All these programs will require a lot of work, so the churches are asking for volunteers to help.
If you're interested in volunteering, follow these links to the Shutdown Bible School, the Collinsville Ministerial Alliance or the First United Methodist Church of Claremore.
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