KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A special education teacher in Knox County is going above and beyond by creating a community care closet for her students.
Jordyn Black, a teacher at Vine Middle Magnet School, is the person behind it all.
"We don't want to be just a school, we want to be a community," said Black.
In the heart of Vine Middle Magnet School lies a closet filled not just with items for students, but for hope, compassion and the dedication of one teacher.
"Kids aren't learning if they're hungry, they're not learning if they're not comfortable in their clothes, and it's just really impactful to keep it going, keep it running, keep it operational," said Black.
When Black arrived at Vine, she saw a need for students to have extra resources at school. What started with storing snacks and clothing items in her classroom, blossomed into something much bigger.
"So many kids were needing it, our parents were saying 'Can you help me out with this?' 'can you get that?' just, we needed more and more resources in the building," said Black.
Surveys revealed how big the need was for the vine community, and inspired the care closet filled with basic necessities for students and families. The project was funded with the help of others.
"As soon as it got funded, all the items started showing up and we've been able to assist families and students ever since through food, clothing items, hygiene items," said Black.
The fully stocked care closet has now become a lifeline for many students at Vine.
"Hey, I don't have a hairbrush, I need a hairbrush, hey I need toothpaste, so all those things we need to hook kids up with are down in the care closet, and kids are really loving it," the teacher said.
While Mrs. Black works behind the scenes, her impact is felt deeply by the students she helps.
"He was in a size small and he's not a size small anymore," said Black. "And he came back to class like beaming with pride because he had a nice, fun new shirt on. So that's really meaningful."
Vine Middle Magnet School is always looking for donations and community partnerships. Black said if anyone is interested in helping with the closet, to call the school at (865) 594-4461 and ask for her.