Mending Appalachian Youth Project Underway

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

One local woman is making an attempt to help create a non-profit project to help school age children with hygiene products and is getting quite a bit of community help.

Shelby Adkins said she is surprised to see how fast the community is getting on board.

“I’m working to create a non-profit type of project called Mending Appalachian Youth Project. The goal is to continuously work month to month to help support the youth in our area so that all needs are met. Children can’t thrive when their basic needs aren’t met and the youth today is the future tomorrow. We can’t expect a bright future if we aren’t nurturing those who are the future,” said Adkins. “For the month of September, I’ve been collecting hygiene products for the children in our schools. On September 29th I intend to separate these items and donate them to the Lawrence County High School, Louisa Middle School, Louisa East Elementary, Fallsburg Elementary, and Blaine Elementary. 

Items requested are razors, soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, feminine products, wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, anything you can think of that children ages 9-18 could need for hygiene.” 

Adkins said for October, she will be collecting non-perishable pre-packaged food items for all of Lawrence County schools.

“The goal for this collection is to assist in providing the school with extra food to send home to the children on the weekends with their current backpack program,” said Adkins. 

“Items requested for this collection are things like prepackaged chips, cookies, gummies, ravioli, spaghetti o’s, fruit cups, applesauce cups, capri suns, mac and cheese cups, etc. The school has requested no peanut butter products. Beyond that, the Mending Appalachian Youth Project has plans to do a drive in November for non-perishable items to donate for Thanksgiving meals and at the end of November and the first 2 weeks of December we would like to gather toys to give to the Angel Tree children who may not have been picked up or didn’t get turned back in.”

Adkins said these goals are all very new and the kinks of this project have not been worked out fully. “There is a lot of heart and work going in to creating something beneficial for our youth and I hope with community support we can change the lives of many young people! 

Right now, we have a donation drop off at Potters Place in our town plaza and I am happy to collect donations in person as well as monetary donations, those can be sent via Cash App or Paypal,” said Adkins.

 Cash App - $shelbykadkins

Paypal – shelbykadkins22