Children Collecting Pencils, Soap for Young Homeless

The John Adams Middle School branch is collecting toiletries and school supplies to be donated to local homeless children.

"Pencils and Soap so Kids Can Cope" is being spearheaded by the J.A.M.S. branch Torch Club—a character and leadership program for Boys and Girls Clubs members ages 11-13. The campaign is a part of a national project developed with Staples Foundation, "Linking Hearts and Hands," which is designed to strengthen Torch Club Members’ knowledge of the needs of other children.

Although this is the third year the local Torch Club has collected toiletries for homeless children, it is the first time organizers have asked for school supplies—a growing need among Santa Monica's homeless population, according to the Boys and Girls Club. 

Amid the stock market crash, housing collapse and other calamities of the Great Recession, the number of homeless children nationwide swelled 38 percent from 2007, ballooning to 1.6 million (the equivalent of one in 45 children) in 2010, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness. 

“It’s a priority for us to teach our young people the importance of helping others in need,” Erika Mitchell, Branch Director for the Boys and Girls Club  branch, said in a press release. "We chose 'Pencils and Soap so Kids can Cope' as our project because our efforts can help children—and involve the community in the process, too.”

Those interested in making a donation can do so by bringing new toiletries and school supplies to the club location at 2441 16th St. between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. until Friday.

The Boys and Girls Club of America and the Staples Foundation will offer 45 cash awards of $500 each to Torch Clubs that implement successful projects. Five additional Torch Clubs will have the chance to win—through a judging process—additional cash prizes of $2,500 (first place), $1,500 (second place), $1,000 (third place) and two $750 prizes for honorable mentions in the project’s awards competition.