The Southeast Alabama Gas District has found a way to give back to the communities it serves.

Representatives from the gas district are visiting schools in their district with a bag of school supplies for teachers in all grades.

“We realize that schools are having a difficult time because of proration,” said Shannon Gooden, Southeast Alabama Gas District market and community manager. “The cutbacks are having a negative impact on almost every classroom. We wanted to do something to help and one way that we could help was by giving each classroom teacher a bag of classroom supplies.”

The supplies included hand sanitizer, markers, high lighters, pencils, dry erasers, a ream of paper and various other items.

Because Pike County Elementary School and Pike County High School are “customers” of Southeast Alabama Gas District, they also received monetary gifts, which were a return of about 25 percent of their usage.

Dr. Kenneth Bynum, Pike County Elementary School principal, said the donations came at the perfect time.

“At this time of the year, and especially this year, teacher supplies are running low,” Bynum said. “These supplies are very much needed and appreciated. They will help our teachers make it to the end of the school year. We thank the Southeast Alabama Gas District for investing in our schools.”

Mitch Thorn, school representative for the gas district, said the gas board wanted to give something back to the schools because the students of today are the future of their communities.

The Southeast Alabama Gas District will donate 1,700 gift bags of school supplies to teachers in 14 communities.