During this time of year we receive a lot of inquiries from people that would like to help families for Christmas.
In the past we had a program, but a couple years ago we decided to focus our efforts in other meaningful ways to impact more families.
How you can help families & children in our community During the holiday season?
Stocking Elementary School does "Stockings for Stocking" every year where people can donate items which are put into Stockings for kids at the school. People can do one or many. See the attached flier to view the specifics and for the sign up link. You can also contact Cheyenne Buelterman at: cheyenneBuelterman@kentssn.org
Sibley Elementary School is in need of waterproof winter gloves (no mittens please) and school uniform pants size 6-18 in khaki, black or navy. They can be more fitted at the bottom and having adjustable or elastic waists are most helpful for student of various shapes. To help Sibley contact Sara Scott at: sarascott@kentssn.org
Harrison Park School is in need of school uniforms (polo shirts and pants - see colors: GRPS Uniforms) for their students as families are having a hard time accessing them. You can contact Melissa Dean to help them with this: melissadean@kentssn.org
Union High School is always in need of hygiene products of any kind, including: feminine hygiene products, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, etc. for students. Those are currently their greatest needs. In order to help Union students, contact Pablo Garcia at: pablogarcia@kentssn.org
Other Agencies:
Crossroads Bible Church does a Christmas store for kids at Stocking Elementary to shop for their caregivers. Currently they are looking for volunteers for one day [December 13] to help kids shop at the store, you can contact Bethany Hicks for this volunteer opportunity at: bhicks@crossroads-bible.org
Other Way Ministries - Christmas Store: They are looking for gift donations for their Christmas Store. Their Christmas Store is an annual neighbor-led program giving parents the opportunity to shop for new, desirable Christmas gifts for their children at little or no cost to them. To stock the store, we depend on churches, families, businesses and organizations to provide new, unopened presents for children 0-18. If you would like to know more about donating to the Christmas store and a list of items they are looking for, check out this flier and consider contacting them by November 15th to express your commitment. You can also check out their website here: Other Way Ministries - Christmas Store
Fun Activities for Families:
Looking for a fun activity for your family? Did you know that the Grand Rapids Public Library has take home kits for residents? Grab & Go Kits are take home activities designed for kids, teens, and adults. Grab & Go Kits can be picked up using GRPL To Go, their curbside holds pickup service, or can be picked up at any GRPL location. They have Grab & Go Activities available including: Craft Kits, Storytime Kits and Time Capsule Kits. To learn more about the kits, go to: Grand Rapids Public Library-Grab and Go
We will more than likely hear of more needs at multiple schools and other agencies in the coming weeks, we are happy to help them with their efforts. We will update this blog post as we hear of more! Feel free to reach out to us in the meantime if you are curious if anything new has popped up!
If you do donate to any of these listed, please consider letting them know you heard about it from West Grand Neighborhood Organization! We love to hear feedback from our partners and neighbors about things they were able to do with information we sent out!