BY MARISSA CASTANOS
Even though we do not see them, they are still there. It could be a neighbor you once had, an individual you went to school with, or even someone you used to work with. The reality is that each and every day, thousands of people across the United States are battling homelessness, and as it has started getting colder outside, Fort Hays Honor Society students have decided to share some warmth with those individuals.
Paulyna Alcorn, Senior Vice President as the Community Service Committee Coordinator for FHSU’s Honor Society started up the project of making care packs for our friends without homes in Hays and the surrounding areas. The care packs included various items such as a bottle of water, a toothbrush, toothpaste, snacks, bandaids, and tissues. The group had made over 30 care packs during the project.
“Tomorrow evening at our general meeting, we are going to allow members to take one or two bags to put in their cars so that they can give them to homeless people when they see them at stop lights or wherever they [students] go,” Alcorn said.
Alcorn is hoping that by having each student take a few bags, they can distribute them not only in Hays but when they drive home on weekends and holidays and see individuals without homes in the cities they may be passing through.
This is the first year that the Honor Society has held a project such as this, as the community service committee is brand new to the society itself. The group is hoping to implement a service project each month.
“We’re really excited to see what we can do each month with our outreach,” Alcorn said. “Whenever I see a homeless person it just really breaks my heart, but I would rather give them something that they can use right away. I know that giving them water, toothpaste, a toothbrush and a snack is going to go way further and help them much more than just a couple dollar bills.”
This project was exclusive to the Honor Society members, as it was the first service project the group had ever done.
“In the future, we do plan on opening events to the campus and public,” Alcorn said.
In November, the group will be doing Operation Christmas Child, and Alcorn is hoping to open the project to members of the Fort Hays student body.
Check your student email announcements regularly to see when the Fort Hays Honor Society will be holding their service projects throughout the year.