PRESS CHRISTMAS FOR ALL: Donations help homeless teens
As part of the annual Press Christmas for All campaign, we share with readers the stories of those who have received help from the program. This is one of them.
For most Kootenai County residents, items like socks and body wash aren’t high on a Christmas wish list. But some local teens don’t have even that much.
“It is a growing trend where we see more students who are couch surfing or just kind of going from place to place but are still able to find a connection with the school,” said Jennifer Shute, registrar at Lakeland High School.
Counselors at Lakeland High School worked with the Post Falls Food Bank to identify 10 students under the age of 18 who are experiencing homelessness and have little or no adult support outside of school. Though the school has some resources to help these students, including a closet, it can’t always meet their needs.
Christmas for All provided each of these students with $400 in gift cards they used for necessities like clothes and toiletries.
Shute said these basic items make life easier for homeless teens. For example, new clothes and the means to keep them clean can help students fit in with their peers, so their situation isn’t obvious to their classmates. This makes attending school less stressful.
“It helps these kids leaps and bounds, establishing a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time for them,” Shute said. “What seems so simple to us, like food and laundry soap and shampoo, for these kids is making a big difference. They don’t have that support system at home.”
For teens who don’t know for sure where they’re going to sleep at night or where their next meal is coming from, staying in school is a challenge and may not be the highest priority.
But these students are making the choice to keep attending school every day, despite the obstacles they face.
“They’re just growing up fast,” Shute said. “We send our kids to school every day and we expect them to learn. These kids have learned survival skills.”
Receiving support from their community through Christmas for All means the world to teens who have little to call their own.
“Being able to help those kids, especially this time of year, lets them know they’re not alone and they are making the right choice (by staying in school),” Shute said.
Each year, Press readers donate generously to Press Christmas for All. Every penny raised is distributed to Kootenai County residents. All overhead costs are covered by The Hagadone Corp.
The gift recipients are our neighbors who are struggling, including the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans, the homeless and those with mental illnesses. Many who seek assistance from Christmas for All are working, but living in poverty.
Beneficiaries of Press Christmas for All keep their dignity while the community provides a hand-up to help get them back on their feet.
Press Christmas for All is managed by The Hagadone Corp., with assistance from CharityReimagined.Org. It is a legally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers.
Here are four ways to donate:
• Mail a check to Press Christmas for All, 215 N. Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
• Call The Press and make a secure credit card donation over the phone: 208-664-8176
• Visit cdapress.com. Click on Christmas for All 2023 and make a secure, online donation.
• Drop off your check at The Press weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.: 215 N. Second St. in downtown Coeur d'Alene.
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