Every year, SmileUp! Charitable Foundation holds the MLK Day of Service; its mission is to get kids helping kids through volunteerism. This year, SmileUp! partnered with the Highland Rivers Foundation (www.highlandriversfoundation.org) to provide 250 hygiene kits and 100 kitchen starter kits to clients who are homeless or experiencing housing insecurity, individuals transitioning out of the foster care system or incarceration, and individuals who require intensive support in order to live independently in the community.
Hygiene kits consisted of toothbrush/toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, a wash cloth, lotion, hand sanitizer, soap, mouthwash, deodorant, dental floss, a comb and Kleenex. Kitchen starter kits included a cookie sheet, skillet, saucepan and various food items.
Each box was decorated, and each kit included a card from one of the 28 young volunteers, who contributed a total of 56 service hours. These Cherokee County residents signed up to volunteer on
https://smileupfoundation.org.
The G. Cecil Pruett YMCA offered its facility for the MLK Day of Service event and OCCUPY, Inc. provided transportation of kits to Highland Rivers.
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