A small school district in the Black Belt has launched a new effort to help students who may not have a bed to sleep in at night.

The Sumter County school district is trying to raise enough money to buy bed frames, mattresses and sheets for about 70 students. School officials say the initiative highlights how the role of schools has evolved, especially in the years since COVID.

“Traditionally, we focus on academics, but now schools are more of a community hub, places where families can access food, clothing, counseling, health services and more,” said Marcy Burroughs, superintendent of Sumter County schools. “This is especially true in rural and high poverty areas where access to services are limited.”

Sumter County, home to about 12,000 people on the border with Mississippi, has a poverty rate of about 30% according to Census Data. That’s the third highest poverty rate among all counties in Alabama.

The goal is to raise $25,000. So far the district has raised $20,000 thanks to a donation from the Alabama Coalition for Healthy Mothers and Children and an adjunct professor at the University of West Alabama pledging part of his salary toward the effort.

Brandon Renfroe, the adjunct professor, has helped Sumter County Schools secure funding in the past for its program to provide students with meals during the weekend. Earlier this year he secured a $10,000 donation from billionaire Mark Cuban for the Secret Meals program.

While getting his doctorate at West Alabama, Renfroe did research on childhood food insecurity in the Black Belt. He administered the Household Food Security Survey created by the USDA to 742 students in 16 Black Belt high schools in 2021. Nearly a quarter of the students self-reported as experiencing food insecurity.

“Sumter County is a place that is historically poor and the research we did on food insecurity showed kids there were facing it more than 10 times the national average, so we want to focus on programs that help provide them with their basic necessities,” Renfroe told AL.com.

The new bed initiative will help those same 72 students who are enrolled in the Secret Meals program. School counselors will also work to identify other students who may need a bed if there’s still funding.

“We have some students who don’t have beds so the goal of this initiative is simple but powerful: just to ensure that every child in our district has a safe and comfortable place to sleep,” Burroughs said.

Once students are identified, district officials say they plan to order everything on Amazon and have the beds shipped directly to the students at home.

“As school district professionals it should be our duty to be aware and concerned about the total well being of the students that we serve,” said Heather Shambry, the Child Nutrition Program director at Sumter County Schools. “This bed program and our Secret Meals allow us to address those concerns and show the community that we do care outside of these walls of the schools.”

Those interested in donating to either the bed program or Secret Meals can contact Sumter County Schools or send a check to their board of education office at 716 Country Club Rd. Livingston, AL 35470.