SALISBURY — From collecting toothbrushes for the homeless to raising money for heart research, students at Sacred Heart School took on several acts of charity in February as part of the diocese’s 50th anniversary “50 Acts of Charity” campaign.
Students and families raised $583 for the American Heart Association’s “Kid Heart Challenge 2022” with their monthly Dress Down Day for Charity. The money will go to support the research and education that the AHA does to help prevent and treat many pediatric congenital heart defects and diseases.
All students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade then came together to collect hygiene items for the homeless. Each grade level was assigned a different hygiene item: toothbrushes, shaving cream, washcloths, etc. Their total was: 252 toothbrushes. 75 tubes of toothpaste, 98 bars of soap, 44 cans of shaving cream. 388 washcloths, 23 bottles of shampoo, 114 disposable razors and 24 bottles of lotion.
Then the students made bags and assembled “hygiene kits” to distribute to people in need at the local homeless shelter run by Rowan Helping Ministries.
“This was a way to show students that bringing in one or two items can amount to something bigger when combined with the efforts of others,” Principal Erin Brinkley said.
And they didn’t stop there!
The school community also collected dozens of glasses to donate to the local Lions Club.
Third-graders made watercolor paintings with messages that were distributed to a local rehabilitation facility, and the middle school club “Our Blessings Bunch” read books to the younger students.
— Catholic News Herald