This is a much different post than my normal "this is what I have been up to" posts. This time I am hoping that the 5 people who read my blog will talk to the 5 people who read theirs and then 5 more people after that and you get the idea.
I am a member of the Safe Kids Utah County chapter and each year we pick a service project to do at Christmas time. One year we gave out carbon monoxide detectors to families in need. Another year we made emergency kits to put in classrooms at elemetary schools. This year we have chosen to partner with the Nebo School District (this is the part of Utah County that is south of Provo) to provide socks and underwear to the 1700 homeless children in that school district.
Yes, you read the number right, there are 1700 children in Nebo School District alone who qualify as homeless!
The homeless standards include a child who meets one of the following:
a. Student shares housing with other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship
b. Student lives in a motel, hotel or public place, abandoned building, substandard housing
c. Student lives in emergency or transitional shelter
d. Student lives in a car, park, camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate shelter.
e. Living in a place WITHOUT adequate facilities (running water, heat, electricity)
f. Student is a migratory child or unaccompanied youth (a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian) living in conditions described in previous examples.
If you or anybody you know, or a company or church group would like to help out, we are looking for new socks and underwear ranging from 3t to XXL. Or a cash donation that can be used to purchase socks and underwear would be wonderful also. One girl on the committee is going to ask family members who are coming to her house for Thanksgiving to bring a donation with them!
Even if you are not able to donate, please take time this year to help out someone less fortunate than yourself. It is times like this that I realize just how blessed I am. I have running water, heat, lights, food not only when I need it, but also whenever I want it. There are so many, especially in light of the current economic conditions who don't even have adequate heat for the winter. If you don't live in my area of the world, I would encourage you to contact your local school district and see what kind of help you can provide. If the numbers are this high here, I imagine that you will find similar numbers in your area.
If you are able to donate anything, I need them before December 1. You can email me at aleciarichey@gmail.com. Thank you so much!
