Snow HIll - Each year Greene County Middle School’s JR BETA Club partners with Paul Funeral Home in Washington, NC to help brighten the holiday season for the men and women serving overseas. The idea was sparked in 2019 when WITN featured the effort on their morning newscast. Since then GCMS and other GCS schools have provided almost 600 stockings for Soldiers.

The Stockings are provided by Paul Funeral Home and are filled with all kinds of items for the servicemen and women. This year over 60 JR BETA members helped stuff 200 stockings that will be delivered to Paul Funeral Home to then be shipped overseas. A bright new addition this year is the addition of 400 handwritten Christmas Cards that Miss Sara Suggs, 8th Grade ELA Teacher, and her students put together to include in the stockings.

This event has become a holiday tradition, one that the students and staff hope truly makes the servicemen and women feel closer to home. “ We never know what they’re going through and if we can help brighten their day just a little then its worth it”, shared a student who was participating. This year turned into sort of a competition with the Homeroom that brought in the most items receiving Donuts from Krispee Kreeme as a treat for their hard work.

Also, something new that happened this year was GCMS JR BETA President Evie Smith and her family reached out to several different community groups to help gather many different items through donations that were included in the stockings.