Leo Club hosts supply drive for Harvey victims in Texas
Students collect food and toiletries
Kutztown Area High School students in cooperation with the Leo Club have begun a supplies drive to assist Texas victims of Hurricane Harvey in the aftermath of the storms and flooding.
“The Texas relief drive came about as our KAHS students realized that they wanted to help out those who were impacted by the storms in Texas,” said Leo Club Adviser Josh Chambers, a Kutztown High School language arts teacher.
On Friday, Sept. 8, students from Mrs. Addie Peters and Chambers’s classes brainstormed relief efforts ideas, including the possibility of traveling to the affected areas during March’s spring break if local organizations could help fund such an undertaking.
“It was determined that until safe staging areas could be established and flood waters completely recede, the most immediate way to make an impact would be to utilize one of the many Houston-based appeals for essentials like food and toiletries.”
During that day’s Leo Club meeting, Chambers’s club worked on the collection flyers and boxes and by noon the school was plastered with notices about the drive.
“Eventually we will expand the collection list,” said Chambers. “We are looking to work with the Salvation Army to transport the donated goods south.”
Any item can be dropped off at the Kutztown High School’s main office. Collection boxes are currently stationed in the main and auditorium lobbies. Chambers said they anticipate the collection to last at least two weeks.
Donation request list includes canned ready-to-eat items with pull tops, protein pouches, peanut butter, snacks, toiletries, paper goods, diapers, cleaning supplies.
“The staff of KAHS is impressed with the students desire to aid people, especially those that they have never met and probably never will,” said Chambers. “On a personal note, I am continually amazed at the speed at which our kids are willing and able to step up and pay it forward, another reason I’ve enjoyed running the Leo Club for the past 17 years. We will most assuredly be working on Florida assistance as soon as those needs are established.”
Chambers said additional wanted item lists are coming but they wanted to get the urgent needs appeal out now. Collection boxes are located in the high school auditorium and fish tank lobbies.