By Rachel Hernandez
About 7 years ago I found out about a committee made up of School Board employees who raise money each year to put together a luncheon for the graduating high school seniors who are Homeless. At this luncheon, they give each of these students a duffle bag full of daily necessities like soap, towels, etc.
In the second year of helping to raise awareness/funds to help them, I asked if there was any one item in that bag that they struggle getting every year. I was told that they like to put gift cards in each bag BUT because of red tape, it’s difficult for them to use donations to purchase gift cards.
I made the decision to focus our efforts on collecting the gift cards since these students lose access to a free breakfast and lunch once they graduate.
In the last couple of years, our goal has been to give each student enough gift cards to feed them for a week following graduation. The gift cards are distributed to the students at the luncheon (inside the duffle bag).