SALEM LAKES — Back-to-school shouldn’t mean choosing between supplies and rent. At the Sharing Center, shelves are stacked wall to wall with backpacks, shoes and school supplies.
Plus, transportation and home delivery are making it easier for families across a 200-square-mile rural area to get what their kids need.
Rural families often face long drives, tight budgets and fewer local services—problems that don’t always show up on city maps. The Sharing Center says it fills that gap year-round.
Watch: Sharing Center helps rural Salem Lakes families
“We're kind of the only ones that are out here,” said Sharon Pomaville, director of the Sharing Center. “There are a couple of other smaller churches or organizations that may do something, but every day, year-round, we're the ones in this area for sure.”
Distance is as big a barrier as cost. With families spread across roughly 200 square miles, access—not the number of programs—is the biggest challenge.
“In a rural area, it’s less about having more agencies and programs and more about the ability to access them because it is a 200-square-mile rural area that we're in the middle of,” Pomaville said.
To overcome that, the center offers home deliveries, free rides and curbside pickup, and leans on volunteers of all ages, like Deidre Shanahan, to keep operations running.
“It’s really cool because you see other kids who are less fortunate than you and you get to help them,” said Shanahan. “Just come in, don’t be scared. It’s very welcoming, and everyone is super nice here.”
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
