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Recently NHS went on a service trip to Things of My Very Own, an organization that collects donations of clothes, toys, and hygiene products and then distributes them to about 5,000 families in the area. Their goals are to provide for abused or neglected children and to help children stay with non-abusive family members by giving them items to help them meet certain standards made by Child Protective Services in order to avoid an intervention. Legally a child must have their own bed, warm blankets, clothing, hygiene products, and an adequate supply of food to remain with their non-abusive family members and out of the foster care system. These are all things that Things Of My Very Own puts their donations toward.

I asked some people who went on the trip what they thought about it.

Madison Kieft: I thought it was a really great trip, I loved being able to help people. I felt we were very productive and I was proud of us for the work we did. The difference between before and after was astounding! My one regret is not getting a before picture.

Hannah Thompson: I thought this trip was very cool and it was nice to be able to volunteer and help some people in need. I especially liked the room with all the stuffed animals and the giant stuffed bear we fondly named “Jeremy.” The funniest part of the trip was when Jeremy fell right on Madi’s head! That was hilarious! My other favorite part was going to McDonald’s on the way back from the trip. What a fun time!

Griffen Gannon: We sorted different articles of clothing into different age categories. There were a ton of clothes, and our whole group managed to get a tremendous amount of work done, however, in the grand scheme of things it only put a small dent into all of the work that they have. It was really nice to get a chance to indirectly help out numerous different families. It was also nice to see everyone working together so well to get a lot of work done for a good purpose.