The bare necessities
Through the help of patients, the community, and friends and family across the U.S., Beyond Bones Chiropractic was able to donate over $1,000 in helpful items to the Family Promise of North Idaho Tuesday afternoon. From the top: Dr. Ryan Bones, Cassidy Bones, and Dr. Jake Hyde. (MADISON HARDY/Press)
Family Promise of North Idaho Executive Director Cindy Wood helps unpack one of the two cars stuffed with donations from Beyond Bones Chiropractic Tuesday afternoon. (MADISON HARDY/Press)
From diapers to blankets, body wash, toilet paper, and jackets, Beyond Bones Chiropractic donated over $1,000 of home goods items to Family Promise Tuesday afternoon. From left: Josie Lavers, Dr. Ryan Bones, Cassidy Bones, Dr. Jake Hyde and Bethany Kelley. (MADISON HARDY/Press)
To make sure no family or child would go without the bare necessities this winter, Beyond Bones Chiropractic donated over $1,000 worth of toiletries, clothing, toys and household items to the Family Promise of North Idaho.
The magnitude of Tuesday's donation was a surprise to the nonprofit organization which provides shelter, guidance, and support to homeless or struggling families with children. For the last four years, Beyond Bones Chiropractic has sponsored one family, Family Promise executive director Cindy Wood said, but because of the trials of 2020, the practice pledged to do more.
"There is just a lot more of that ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) population that is really struggling and they need help getting the basic necessities," Cassidy Bones, Beyond Bones Chiropractic's chief executive officer, said. "Maybe they're living out of their car, or have lost their home, or just struggling to get by day-to-day."
Through the help of their patients, the community, and even national aid from friends and family across the country, Beyond Bones Chiropractic raised over $1,000 in monetary contributions and collected two carloads of donated items.
"There's a lot of people on that brink, and 2020 was enough to tip a lot of people over," Dr. Ryan Bones, Beyond Bones Chiropractic owner and practitioner, said. "We love what the mission of Family Promise is and how direct the help is. We know that this will immediately go to somebody who needs it."
Packed into trash bags, boxes and backpacks were bottles of laundry detergent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, baby wipes, diapers, toys, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, sweatshirts and so much more. As the team from Beyond Bones brought in the items, Wood and the family service coordinator Lisa Donaldson were in awe.
"This is going to impact so many people. It's amazing. I love how in this community we are really aware of our ALICE population," Wood said. "This is just one way to help those people make it further this year, or hopefully make it through the whole year without having home insecurity."
In 2018, 27% of households in Kootenai County were considered the working poor, and 11% fell under the poverty line according to the United Way for ALICE. At Family Promise of North Idaho, they aim to help those families by providing counseling, shelter, and programming opportunities to help get parents back on their feet. Wood estimated that with the Beyond Bones donation, Family Promise could reach out and aid up to 50 families.
"This is huge. We're also trying to further our reach this coming year too, so we'll be able to help more families in need through our prevention program," Donaldson said. "(Beyond Bones Chiropractic) has been helping us for years, and this year they took a different approach, and the response is overwhelming."
