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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

PELHAM –  The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd will host  a community back-to-school and health clinic with Community Hope Health on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Participants will receive free health screenings and much-needed school supplies at this inaugural event. 

“I think it’s 52 backpacks with stuff with school supplies that we’re going to be giving away to anyone who needs them,” Reverend Andrew Brashier said. “We’re also doing blood pressure checks, diabetes checks, cholesterol that we do as women’s health and behavioral health.”

This clinic came about in part due to members of the Church of the Good Shepherd wanting to help the community and because of Brashier’s friendship with Rebekah Parr of the Shelby Baptist Association.

“We’re always looking at ways to partner between us; we’re Anglicans and their Baptists,” Brashier said. “Rebekah said, ‘Hey, I’m on the Board of Community Hope Health Clinic, maybe we can work together?’ and so I gave them a call to talk to their director, and they were like, ‘What about a mobile clinic?’”

Along with free health checks and school supplies, the mobile clinic will be supplying COVID-19 boosters and other vaccines. This is especially important as Pelham City Schools requires all students 11 and older to have tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. While people receive free healthcare, members of the Church of the Good Shepherd will take a break from their services to help man the event.

“We’ll be there as a church to greet those who are coming through,” Brashier said.  “Pass out burgers, hot dogs, some light snacks and make sure the church is open so no one’s burning up in the heat. We’ll also be doing blessings over the backpacks and the students.”

While this is the first time the Church of the Good Shepherd has partnered with Community Hope to put on a free clinic,  they are no strangers to nonprofit events. Every Christmas, they partner with Prison Fellowship Angel Tree to help keep incarcerated individuals in contact with their children.

“We’re a  faith community that’s, in my opinion, really punching above our weight in terms of helping out with the community,” Brashier said.

The Church of the Good Shepherd already has plans to put on more free clinics with Community Hope Health over the coming months as flu season nears.