Durham Public Schools Student Support Services is seeking to bring comfort to families in transition during National Homelessness Awareness Month to enlighten the community about the needs of its students and families.
National Homelessness Awareness Month is observed during the month of November with a specific focus on youth. Student Support Services will host an essential item drive to shore up its inventory for the district’s 1,295 students and their families who are considered in transition.
“Our resource closet has a huge need for hygiene items to support students and families,” said Ebony Ross, McKinney Vento Liaison for the Durham Public Schools. Ross said that funding has been depleted for hygiene kits that are normally purchased each year, thus the need for the districtwide drive.
To help meet the need, Student Support Services is launching a friendly competition among central office and school building staff. Each building will have a donation box in the front lobby that staff would fill with items such as shampoo for all hair types, deodorant, soaps, toothbrushes, clothes detergent, grocery, and gas cards throughout the month. At the end of November, the building that collects the most items will win bragging rights, said Ross.
Ross added that each school building is also asked to participate, with their school social worker leading the donation drive for their site. This ensures that every building is engaged and contributing to the effort.
The Blue and Gold Effect
Deja Flythe, McKinney-Vento Social Worker emphasized that hygiene and even clothing items can largely be taken for granted so the family resource closet is set up like a boutique store where families can shop in privacy.
“We want parents to send their children to school feeling clean and comfortable and prepared for school,” said Flythe, who said the shopping space is set up exclusively for students and their families who need special items. She said that some students don’t come to school because they don’t have clothes– or clean clothes– to wear.
She remembers seeing a little boy scream when he saw some gold metallic sneakers. He claimed them as his sneakers.
“He was so excited about them. That’s what his heart desired. And last year, a little girl picked out a blue dress to attend her sneaker ball,” Flythe said.
“I tell them this space is for you,” said Flythe. An effort is made to stock the store with varieties of items like body wash or bar soaps, for example.
Providing Choices
Hygiene items are a priority, but when resources are limited for families, so are their choices, says Tomeka Ward Satterfield, Director of Student Wellness and Advocacy.
Satterfield said Durham Public Schools hopes to make
Flythe is the contact representative for the districtwide drive. She can be reached at extension 85310 or deja_flythe@dpsnc.net