Students Assemble Hygiene Kits for Homeless

Dallas 24 Hour Club is the grateful recipient of a year’s worth of hygiene kits, which will be provided to new residents entering into the Dallas 24 Hour Club recovery program. The Welcome Kits, which were assembled by preschool through 5th grade students at St. Monica Catholic School, include miniature bottles of shampoo, body wash, body lotion, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and most notably, a sweet colored picture and personal encouraging message from one of the students. “The Welcome Kit was such a nice treat when I arrived at Dallas 24 Hour Club. I didn’t have any of my stuff, so the kit allowed me to be able to take a shower and feel like a human again,” said Amy, a current resident at Dallas 24 Hour Club.

Each year, Dallas 24 Hour Club, helps over 600 people, who have been living in poverty, get off the streets, embrace sobriety, and start putting their lives back together. The six-month long program provides residents with the necessary tools to live a sober lifestyle, find a job and become contributing members of society. The Welcome Kits will be shared with new residents who have been homeless and have few possessions. “Many of our residents arrive in our facility with only the clothes on their back. Some haven’t showered in weeks, sometimes even months. The Welcome Kits allow them to start their new life with a good hygiene regime, which is something we haven’t been able to fund until St. Monica Catholic School stepped in to help,” said Marsha Williamson, CEO, Dallas 24 Hour Club.

Veronica Abshire, supporter of Dallas 24 Hour Club and a parent at St. Monica Catholic School, suggested the idea of Welcome Kits to Dallas 24 Hour Club. “Each year the students complete a service project, which is a great way to teach the kids how to give back to their community. Through my volunteer work at Dallas 24 Hour Club, I knew the Welcome Kits were not only needed, but were in high demand,” said Abshire.

St. Monica Catholic School is a Dallas-based, Christ-centered, private school serving over 800 students from preschool through 8th grade. The school’s service committee, SMS Serves, coordinates service projects for the school to facilitate and offers the gift of service to their greater community and St. Monica School and Parish, while inspiring the spirit of Catholic Stewardship. The committee, which is funded by donations from the Grandparents Day breakfast, pays for buses to take students off campus, t-shirts for the students to wear on service days, and a yearly service project, which this year, included all the products for the Welcome Kits.

“We truly are grateful,” said Tim Grigsby, COO, Dallas 24 Hour Club. “Developing a good hygiene regime is part of the transformation we hope to see in our residents. St. Monica Catholic School came to us at such an opportune time. The entire project truly was a blessing.”