Students organize winter drive

Essential supplies will support homeless families from Philadelphia to Manhattan

KENNETT SQUARE » Students ace compassion with high honors to assist homeless people in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Manhattan.

Southeastern Chester County teens Hailey Maurer and Jenna Robertson never gave up on their dream to help people as incoming National Honor Society members.

The two young scholars are both teens who attend, albeit virtually still for now, Kennett High School in southeastern Pennsylvania roughly 33 miles south of Philadelphia near the stateliness of Delaware and Maryland.

All schools closed statewide on March 13 by order of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, however virtual lessons have long since resumed.

However, all events were canceled in the spring and summer including the scheduled March 27 introduction of the Kennett National Honor Society for members of the Class of 2021.

Thus, virtually, the girls created a plan to launch the Winter Drive to help feed the hungry across the region this winter.

The girls have been promoting the first-ever Winter Drive locally to directly benefit three homeless shelters including Friendship House, Vegasda and the Coalition For the Homeless in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

“I like to go

to New

York City in the winter and hand out blankets to homeless people, so this idea stemmed from that,” said co-organizer Maurer. “It was originally going to only be blankets, but after talking to different shelters about their needs we expanded it to what they needed the most.”

The community is welcome to donate to the Kennett Winter Cause now until Dec. 5.

“As for the people who will benefit from this drive,

we have one predominantly men’s shelter, and the other two help women, men, and children,” Maurer said.

She noted that the Philadelphia shelter helps 2,500 to 3000 people per year, the Wilmington organization helps 100 to 125 people per week, and the New York City shelter helps over 3,500 families in a single day.

“Homeless shelters have been facing a growing amount of people in need of help, and we are grateful to be able to help all of these people,” Maurer said.

COURTESY PHOTO Kennett High School seniors Hailey Maurer, left, and Jenna Robertson unite on Oct. 14 with supplies collected for their ongoing Winter Drive to help others across the Northeast this winter. Both teens are members of the National Honors Society.