BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – The spirit of giving is alive with the Beckley Rotary Club. This holiday season, members have been finding ways to give back to families in need.

Within three weeks, The Beckley Rotary Club raised over $10,000 for families and students in the Beckley area.

“We just wanted to put some Christmas magic into families who had a harder time during the holiday season and the pandemic,” Rotary member Kristi Dumas said.

The Beckley Rotary Club worked with school social workers and identified the schools with the biggest needs. A portion of the funds went to Beckley-Stratton Middle School to help stock the school’s mobile pantry that will benefit 700 students.

“Besides the need for the pantry there are also other things that a lot of our families need. We have families who started over who didn’t have any mattress and simple things that we take for granted. So this check will help us get the resources for those families,” Social Worker Ashley Hawkins said.

Along with other holiday items each family also received a hundred pounds of food. Dumas said this all came together with the help of the community.

“Folks here are very willing to contribute and assist even if they are struggling themselves. I just think that it really speaks to the general generosity to the people that live here,” she said.

For more information on the Beckley Rotary Club and what they represent, click here.