The Eagle Market: How a Hoke County School Is Supporting the Whole Family
Education becomes more powerful when a school recognizes that a student’s success depends upon more than textbooks, assignments, test scores, and classroom instruction, because children arrive at school carrying the circumstances, responsibilities, and challenges experienced by their families at home. Through the opening of The Eagle Market at Upchurch Elementary School, Hoke County Schools has taken an important step toward addressing those realities by creating a welcoming Family Resource Center that serves students, families, school employees, and members of the surrounding community.
The Eagle Market was established to provide convenient access to essential items and helpful community connections for people who may be experiencing financial pressure, temporary hardship, or difficulty locating dependable assistance. According to a report about the center’s opening, the available resources include food, clothing, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and connections to additional community services, which means families can receive immediate assistance while also learning about organizations equipped to address longer-term needs.
The Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce commemorated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 18, bringing together elected officials, chamber representatives, community partners, educators, and supporters who recognized the importance of the new resource. Although the ceremony celebrated the opening of a physical location, the larger significance rests in the message being communicated throughout Hoke County, because The Eagle Market demonstrates that supporting children sometimes requires schools and communities to look beyond traditional educational boundaries.
When children face food insecurity, limited clothing, inadequate hygiene supplies, or instability within their households, concentrating on instruction can become considerably more difficult, regardless of how talented or motivated those students may be. By helping families address practical concerns that can interfere with attendance, confidence, concentration, and classroom participation, The Eagle Market allows Upchurch Elementary School to strengthen the foundation upon which meaningful learning can take place.
A child who has reliable access to nutritious food is more prepared to concentrate throughout the school day, while a child who has appropriate clothing and personal-care products may feel more confident participating in class and interacting with classmates. Providing cleaning products can also help families maintain healthier home environments, while connecting people with community services can guide them toward specialized assistance that may not be available directly through the school.
The Family Resource Center is facilitated by Community Schools Coordinator Cassie Harjala as part of a broader Community Schools Program involving Hoke County Schools, Student U, and the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition. This collaborative approach recognizes that schools can become trusted neighborhood centers where education, family engagement, community partnerships, and accessible resources work together to improve outcomes for children and the adults who care for them.
Harjala explained during the center’s opening that the goal of The Eagle Market is to remove barriers and ensure that families can obtain the resources necessary to thrive, while also creating a trusted and welcoming place for the Hoke County community. That mission reflects an important understanding of student achievement, because removing even one significant obstacle from a family’s daily life can give a child greater stability, improve a parent’s ability to support learning, and strengthen the relationship between the household and the school.
Hoke County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Spells also emphasized that The Eagle Market represents a commitment to supporting the whole child and the whole family, rather than separating a student’s academic experience from the conditions surrounding that student outside the classroom. The Eagle Market became the first Community Schools Family Resource Center to officially open in the Sandhills Region, placing Hoke County in a leadership position and demonstrating what can be accomplished when schools, families, local organizations, and community leaders pursue a shared vision.
Accessibility is an important part of the center’s operation, because resources can only make a difference when people know where to find them and have reasonable opportunities to visit. The Eagle Market is open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 until 9:00 a.m., as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m., while Friday visits are available by appointment and additional access is provided during after-school Family Engagement events.
People who need assistance outside the regular operating hours may contact the Community Schools Coordinator to discuss an appointment, providing an additional level of flexibility for working parents, caregivers, and residents with transportation or scheduling limitations. The Eagle Market is located in Room 19 at Upchurch Elementary School, which is situated at 730 Turnpike Road in Raeford, with the room positioned in the fifth-grade hallway near the main office.
Visitors arriving during school hours should park in the gym parking lot, enter through the main building entrance, and sign in at the front office with a valid state-issued photo identification card. Individuals visiting after regular school hours are not required to complete the same sign-in procedure, although they should notify a staff member upon arrival, and everyone accessing the center must be accompanied by a school employee or the Community Schools Coordinator.
Beyond distributing supplies, The Eagle Market has the potential to build trust between families and the educational system by creating a respectful location where asking for help is treated as a responsible step rather than a source of embarrassment. Families who feel supported by their schools may be more comfortable communicating with teachers, participating in school activities, attending family-engagement programs, and seeking assistance before a temporary challenge becomes a lasting crisis.
The center also creates opportunities for businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches, civic groups, and residents to become active partners in student success through donations, volunteer service, resource referrals, and community collaboration. When local organizations contribute useful products or professional knowledge, they are not simply filling shelves inside a school, because they are helping create the stability students need to learn, grow, and pursue their potential.
The Eagle Market represents the kind of positive and impactful development that deserves recognition throughout Hoke County, because it illustrates how compassionate ideas can become practical solutions when community partners share their resources and responsibilities. Its success should not be measured only by the number of food items, articles of clothing, or hygiene products distributed, but also by the students who enter their classrooms feeling more prepared, the parents who discover reliable assistance, and the families who realize their community has not forgotten them.
As Hoke County continues growing and welcoming families from different backgrounds and circumstances, programs such as The Eagle Market will become increasingly important to the strength of local schools and neighborhoods. Growth brings new opportunities, but it can also create additional demands involving housing, food security, healthcare, transportation, childcare, and access to reliable information, which makes coordinated community support essential.
Through The Eagle Market, Upchurch Elementary School is showing that education is most effective when the whole community participates in creating the conditions children need to succeed. By bringing essential resources into a familiar and trusted school environment, Hoke County Schools is helping reduce barriers, strengthen families, encourage community involvement, and establish a model of support that could positively influence schools throughout the Sandhills Region.
The Eagle Market is ultimately more than a food pantry, clothing closet, or collection of household supplies, because it represents a promise that Hoke County students and families will be seen, valued, and supported. Through cooperation, compassion, and a commitment to serving the whole family, Upchurch Elementary School is demonstrating that when a community surrounds its children with meaningful support, everyone gains a stronger opportunity to move forward together.
About The Author
