Toothbrushes, clothes, shampoo, canned goods, footballs, teddy bears - the Thrive Hive is packed with goods, like a Walmart in extreme miniature.
"They have the Buddy Backpack system at the elementary level, but the need doesn't stop," said Stephanie Horstmeier, who works in the Fulton Middle School guidance office.
She explained elementary students in need can take home backpacks full of nutritional snacks over the weekend, but there wasn't a similar system in place for older students who might have similar wants.
"If we want our kids to succeed in school, they need to thrive," said Corine Tobias, who teaches seventh grade.
To address this, Horstmeier, Tiffany Sargent, and Tobias and Heather Yates teamed up to write a grant application.
In Spring, the Fulton Foundation awarded Fulton Middle School a $500 grant, and the school started planning Thrive Hive, which opened Wednesday.
Thrive Hive is stocked with essentials an in anticipation of the holidays, small gift items like pillows made from Hornets T-shirts.
"Our plan is to create gift bags so people can buy for younger siblings," Tobias said.
Most of the items stocked were donated by the Millersburg Community Club, Central Christian Church and other local groups and individuals.
"When our teachers go to conferences, they'll bring these back from the hotels," Horstmeier said, gesturing to the baskets of sample-sized toiletries.
Students purchase the items using "Hornet Bucks," which they earn by modeling positive behavior at school.
"If they hold the door open for someone, they could get a Hornet Buck," Tobias said as an example.
Brennan Roesner, an eighth-grader who was browsing the shelves, had another example.
"If your teacher sees you doing something good, she can give you a referral to the principal, and she'll give you some Hornet Bucks," he said.
He was especially excited about the footballs and other sports eqiuipment available.
Tobias said overall, kids have been enthusiastic about the new program, and she expects the enthusiasm to grow as word spreads.
