MANOS DE CRISTO: BACK TO SCHOOL

For 15 years, Manos de Cristo (The Hands of Christ) has been making the first day of school more fun for thousands of kids across Austin. The non-profit, supported by Covenant since its beginning in 1988, has been providing backpacks, clothes and school supplies to kids who can’t afford them. Julie Ballesteros, executive director at Manos, explained the Back-to-School (BTS) project’s beginning: “A small group of volunteers from our clothing closet wanted to do something more to help prepare children for returning to school. The first year only a few children were served with a few school supplies.” “But what started with a few children has turned into an enormous program!” said Karen Green, the education service coordinator at Manos. Karen currently oversees the program, which since 2010 has grown to serve more than 2,000 elementary school children each year.

“We even grew out of our own building!” Julie said. Manos now holds the two-week event at the North Austin Event Center.

The program’s growth has created challenges with storage space and volunteers. “Since our program has grown so large, it takes a lot of space to store and organize all the clothing and school supplies prior to the event,” Karen said, adding that this year’s move of the Manos dental clinic to the main office has further reduced BTS storage space.

“Another challenge is coordinating volunteers,” Karen continued. “It takes about 30 volunteers each day to make the program run smoothly during the full two weeks. We also have many volunteers for two weeks prior to the event, who help sort and organize items.

Not surprisingly, BTS program growth has necessitated volunteer growth. Partner Presbyterian churches, including Covenant, collect money and school supplies during late spring and summer. The Travis County Sheriff’s Department provides several volunteers and moving trucks to ensure that all of the boxed clothing and supplies are transported from the Manos office to the event center.

In the past, volunteers collected and purchased different styles and sizes of clothing throughout the year, but it became too difficult to have enough variety for all the children Manos wanted to serve. Then when most of the schools moved to uniforms, it became easier and more cost effective to order the clothing in bulk.

All the program challenges are worth it when Manos and its volunteers start giving away the supplies. “Working with the children during distribution is so much fun,” said Karen. “Each child encounters at least five volunteers during the hour or so that they are in the building moving from the entertainment area, to shopping for clothing, and finally to get their backpacks and choose books.”

Covenant Supplies Volunteers

“Covenant has many members who consistently volunteer and donate to Back to School and other programs at Manos de Cristo. We couldn’t have such a successful program without them,” Julie said.

Julie pointed out a few: “Gloria and Tony Moreno have always played a role in Back to School. For many years, Gloria rounded up volunteers for registration, and although she is no longer ‘in charge’ of registration, she and Tony still help. Paulette Kern was the official ‘buyer’ for the Back to School Program for many years; we credit her for establishing a system that is now easy for other volunteers to follow.”

“Covenant was instrumental in the first BTS closet,” Gloria recalled. “When we ran out of t-shirts in two or three days, we realized the huge need. And the needs are still phenomenal,” she continued. “To see the mix of people, both clients and volunteers, who come together to do this is a wonder. All this teamwork happens because of the grace of God.”

deserving of this recognition, and a valuable asset to Covenant and all the other recipients of her ministry.

member of MoMs Group, she helped organize retreats and prepare delicious homemade meals for all to enjoy. She is well-known for her fabulous flan, which she makes as a fundraiser for the Cuba VBS. All in all, Evangeline is a dynamic young woman,