99-year-old former teacher uses bingo winnings to buy school supplies

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ/Gray News) - A 99-year-old retired teacher is showing others that it’s never too late to help others.

The residents at the Hermitage Roanoake retirement community play bingo every Wednesday. And each time Martha McMullan wins, she puts her quarters into a piggy bank.

“I would say I averaged $1.50 or $2 a week,” McMullan said.

For a year, McMullan saved her bingo money to make a difference in the community.

“I knew that there were probably children who wouldn’t have something they needed,” McMullan said.

As a former fourth-grade teacher, her mission was to buy school supplies for students at Fairview Elementary School.

Other residents joined her effort, and together they collected around $500.

McMullan printed the fourth-grade school supply list and bought 24 of everything on it, including backpacks.

“Now they have a whole list of things that they want the child to have, like glue sticks, scissors, crayons, pencils… and earbuds,” McMullan said. “I understand now that they use a lot of technology—tablets and computers—and they use earbuds with those. But I didn’t even know what earbuds were.”

When the list called for four composition books per child, McMullan went above and beyond, buying 96 notebooks, enough for every fourth grader.

“I think that heart can really only come from someone who’s seen it firsthand, who’s seen the kids who didn’t have it, and who wants to make sure they are provided for,” said fourth-grade teachers Abby McDonald and Jacob Honaker.

The teachers were deeply touched by McMullan’s thoughtful gesture.

“That means a lot to us—that she wanted to see exactly where her donations went and how they impacted us, our students, and our community,” said fourth-grade teachers Miranda Lewis and Ashley Duffey.

The supplies have already made a positive impact in the classroom.

“It’s a big deal because it means so much,” Lewis and Duffey added. “The students are no longer embarrassed about not having the supplies they need. It alleviates a lot of stress and anxiety related to having insufficient supplies and allows us to provide them without question.”

For McMullan, knowing she is helping students succeed is the most rewarding part.

“The fact that these children need them, and now they have them, is really meaningful,” McMullan said.

For now, she will continue playing bingo until she finds her next project.

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