Viewer Donations Stock Young Middle Magnet's Buffalo Store With Nearly $3,500 in Supplies

A fundraising drive run by ABC Action News and the Scripps Howard Fund has delivered $3,450 worth of donations to Young Middle Magnet School in Hillsborough County, helping restock a school store that many students rely on for basic necessities. The delivery was made Friday, in partnership with the nonprofit Hands Across the Bay.

The school's Buffalo Store operates on a currency called Buffalo Bucks rather than real money. Students earn the bucks by showing one of four traits: being punctual, polite, prepared and productive. They collect them through the week and can spend them in the store on Fridays.

The station first reported on the school in November, when it met School Resource Officer Rodney Riviere and Principal Henrissa Berry. Riviere had just wrapped up Anti-Bullying Week, an initiative he created, which ended with a basketball game pitting teachers against students. At the time, he said students were responding strongly, with some who rarely spoke stopping to thank him or give him a hug.

Riviere also described how students use the store. Rather than toys or games, many choose hygiene products and blankets, often to take home to relatives and friends. He recalled one student who spent roughly 60 Buffalo Bucks on blankets, hats, deodorant and toiletries, explaining that he needed a blanket for his mother and hats for his brother. The student did not have enough to cover everything, Riviere said, and he did not have the heart to tell him.

That story led ABC Action News to select the Buffalo Store for its ABC Action News Gives campaign. Through the campaign, the station and the Scripps Howard Fund raise money for Tampa Bay area nonprofits, and viewer contributions go directly to the organizations named.

Riviere said he was overwhelmed by the response. "This store will go on for a very long time," he said, adding that it would affect students and the wider community. Berry said she never expected such a surprise and called the supplies "a game changer" for stocking the store and meeting students' needs. A large group of students helped carry the items inside, and others shopped at the store during their lunch break for family and friends.

Emily Johnson, vice president of Hands Across the Bay, said the program carries an important message. In schools, she said, students are often disciplined but not always affirmed for good behavior, and the store shows them that doing good things can benefit both themselves and their families.

Some viewers also gave directly to the school. Two women identified as Ms. Joy and Ms. Mae donated Bessie's Love Baskets filled with items middle schoolers enjoy. Berry said they visited before the holiday break as a tribute to their mother, who died on Christmas a couple of years earlier, and wanted to give back after seeing the earlier story.

Berry said the support reinforces what the school teaches: that positive actions bring positive results. Riviere added that Anti-Bullying Week has grown into a year-round effort, with activities every month. He said parents have thanked him and that the school's culture and atmosphere are improving.