Kim Webb, Executive Director of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky spoke with the 5th graders at Florence Elementary to discuss how the shelter operates as they kicked off their Service Learning Project to help the homeless within our area.
Webb offered many details about the shelter that students and staff didn’t know.
The shelter can house up to 75 individuals daily. However, during extreme temperatures, it can house upwards to 120 adults. The shelter also operates during extreme heat, offers a summer shower program, and operates a laundry program. This causes the shelter to have many needs that the public can help with since the shelter is completely funded through donors and grants.
The fifth graders at Florence Elementary decided to help the cause as part of their Service Learning Project.
Fifth grade students began to ask each grade level to compete to bring in cereal (one of the biggest needs of the shelter), simple food items, hygiene products, and flip flops for showers. The school responded and students, staff, and parents began to bring in items.
The project collected a total of 1,368 items.
The students graphed and sorted the items collected and completed research about the homeless community in and around rural areas. This program provided students with the opportunity to put hope and empathy into our communities.
The outreach program gave the students a sense of purpose, self-satisfaction, and personal development by impacting the lives of others; and sharing a light of hope during a dark season of their life.
From Boone County Schools
