Stuart Delivers Donated Winter Clothing, Supplies to Granite City Schools

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, continued her support of area schools by delivering donations of winter clothing, food and other essentials contributed by local families to Granite City Community School District (CSD) #9.

“As many local families face economic hardship, it’s so important for communities to stick together and ensure that those of us who are most vulnerable are getting the help they need,” Stuart said. “Our community is enduring a difficult winter, but we’ve weathered worse and this will be no exception, as long as we continue to stand by each other. That’s why I’m setting an example I hope that others will follow by taking time to consider the needs of their neighbors and other community members.”

Stuart organized “Katie’s District-Wide Drive” throughout the month of December and made a significant delivery to Granite City CSD #9 just before the new year. In addition to winter clothing, donated items included non-perishable food items and sanitary supplies.

Ruben Carranza, a CSD #9 administrator responsible for assisting students who are housing insecure or unhoused, said Stuart’s donation would go a long way toward helping many area families and was greatly appreciated.

Stuart expressed gratitude to community organizations that assisted in collecting donations for the drive, including the Steelworkers’ Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR).

Granite City was recently impacted by the decision of U.S. Steel to idle operations at Granite City Steel and issue layoff warnings to around 1,000 local workers. Stuart has strongly criticized U.S. Steel for giving up on a profitable facility and a skilled, union workforce. She is leading efforts to scrutinize U.S. Steel’s actions and to ensure affected workers and their families are made whole.

“Struggling families and their students are still important members of our community. Their potential still has value and they still matter,” Stuart said. “Sadly, we can’t always prevent the selfish greed of big companies from motivating them to treat their workers as expendable. But one of the reasons I’m so proud to be a member of our community is that it’s full of the sort of compassionate and giving people who step up to help take care of the people around them. With your continued help, we can look forward to better days for affected families in Granite City.”