Today’s post is the seventh in a series about my visit to Stonebriar Community Church’s Special Needs Ministry in Frisco, Texas. Meaghan Wall, the Special Needs Ministry Coordinator for Stonebriar, was kind enough to provide a tour of the church’s special needs suite. In today’s post we’ll show pictures of the storage closet and talk about what’s in it….snacks, in particular. The other posts in this series have or will feature helpful information related to:
- Special Needs Ministry Entrance
- Check-in Board
- Main Classroom
- Quiet Room
- Sensory Room
- Bathroom (and Toileting/Diapering Policies)
- Family Picture Wall
- Outside Playground
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It can be argued that you can learn a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse. There is a parallel to a storage closet and a ministry. While it may seem odd to be talking about what’s in the storage closet of Stonebriar Community Church’s special needs suite…there’s a lot of “best practices” stowed inside this supply area.
In this picture you see the check-in desk just behind the doors of the suite entrance. The computer is where families and volunteers formally check-in and receive a nametag. To the left is the picture wall (which we’ll talk about in a future post…get the tissues handy!) The storage closet is really just a storage tower (not a true closet) in the center of this picture. And to the right is a small refrigerator and cubby shelves for personal backpacks. Children with special needs are more likely to bring their own bag or backpacks as they may have special snacks brought from home, medicine, or an important aid (favorite toy, weighted blanket, item associated with their “passion” etc).
Here is a list of items you see in the above pictures:
- Pepperidge Farm Goldfish – standard snacks offered on Sunday mornings to children without allergies or special diets.
- Glutino Pretzels – GFCF snacks available and offered to children on a Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet.
- Noise-Canceling Headphones – may be used during big group worship/theater experiences or as needed in general.
- Sensory Toy Box – providing a sensory toy can often occupy a student in need of redirection or a simple fidget toy.
- Prizes – allergy free suckers such as Dum Dum Pops can be useful for a child who may need a reward.
- Batteries – invariably a popular toy needs a replacement battery.
- Sensory Swing – may be suspended from the truss in the sensory room. This swing is frequently used during Funzone respite events.
- Extra change of clothes for a smaller individual and a larger sized student.
- First Aid Kit
- Lost & Found Box
- Storage space for volunteers’ purses – some students may have a fascination with bags and enjoy rummaging through a purse left in the room.
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What items does your special needs ministry keep on hand or stored in a nearby closet? We’d love to get ideas from you.
