Church Helps Putnam Heights Students Celebrate Final Valentine’s Day In School

A special Valentine's Day delivery arrived Thursday morning for students at an Oklahoma City elementary school that is slated to close next year. A church in the Putnam Heights neighborhood wants to make sure the kids know they are loved. 

Hundreds of goodie bags were stacked high at Anointed Acts Ministries, just waiting to brighten a day for the students down the street. The children will not be there much longer, though, since Putnam Heights will close under all three of the district's proposed plans.

Pastor Mary Thompson says, “My heart was sad, and I said let’s do something on love day, Valentine’s Day, for the gift, for God is love.”

Pastor Mary has dedicated her life to serving people in need in her neighborhood, so she is not just giving out toys and candy, but also toothpaste and toothbrushes.

“You can tell that they need it,” Putnam Heights principal Susan Carlsen says, “because they don’t open it up right away and start to share that food. They’re excited to say, ‘wow this is mine. I can take it home,’ so that need is there.”

Carlsen has worked at her school for 20 years and is grateful for the support, which comes despite the church being broken into two weeks ago. Someone stole a piano, a podium and the entire security system connected to the cameras.

The pastor is not holding any hard feelings, though. She says, “That didn’t stop my focus to focus on the kids.”

Pastor Mary would like to see the old school become a new community center to give the neighborhood youth a positive place to spend their time.

Anointed Acts is helping students grow a garden at the school as one of their last projects, and Pastor Mary hopes the youngsters take the lessons they have learned to grow into productive members of the community themselves.

She says, “The best give I can have, I’m not even looking for anything for Valentine’s, but love and a smile on a child’s face.”

To connect with Pastor Mary’s ministry, click here.