KIND kids at Pleasant Knoll deliver flood relief supplies to Columbia food banks

Many schools have sent supplies to South Carolina flood victims. Pleasant Knoll Elementary School sent students, too.

Three teachers and 13 KIND club members from Pleasant Knoll hand delivered relief items Thursday at two Columbia food banks. They collected items for two weeks following the floods that left victims throughout the state last month. They extended the drive, and had donations coming in up to time for the bus to roll out just after the morning bell Thursday.

“We collected canned goods,” said school counselor and club sponsor Kelly Lewis.

“We collected baby items, and we collected school supplies. Today we’re going to let them see it all the way through.”

KIND stands for Kids Interested in Nice Deeds. Students have a choice of clubs at Pleasant Knoll, and this year KIND had one more student than usual. All are fourth- or fifth-graders. They all happen to be girls this year. Service projects are common for the group.

When flooding hit South Carolina this fall, helping Columbia seemed like a natural fit.

“Some of them had talked about it in class,” Lewis said. “Our fourth-graders talk a lot about weather.”

Several schools in the district held similar supply drives. Doby’s Bridge Elementary School even contributed to the KIND effort, as did Harrisburg Elementary School in the Indian Land area.

Students had a full day planned Thursday. Students were as excited to eat at a restaurant on the trip as they were to work the food bank shelves. They weren’t alone in anticipation. Media specialist Zuyi Mui is in her sixth year at Pleasant Knoll.

“It’s my first field trip,” she said.

Students and teachers at the school have connections to Columbia. Some teachers went to school there, as did relatives of students.

“It gave them a connection,” Lewis said.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "KIND kids at Pleasant Knoll deliver flood relief supplies to Columbia food banks."