Kiwanis Club of Arnold members and Fox C-6 School District staff members spent a frigid morning earlier this month trying to spread a little love to students in need, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
On Feb. 12, the volunteers handed out baskets to the 255 Fox district students who are considered homeless, which means they are either living with a friend or extended family member, or a hotel or some other temporary housing.
Jamie Cavato, the Fox district’s director of federal programs and human resources, said the number of homeless students attending school in the district is on the rise.
She said the Fox district had 130 homeless students at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, and at the end of that school year, there were 160.
“The need is eye-opening when you think about it and realize we only know of the families in Fox. What about the other school districts?” said Tammy Cardona, Fox’s assistant superintendent in charge of secondary education.
Kiwanis Club members put together the baskets, which were filled with personal care and hygiene items and distributed at the Fox C-6 Service Center in Arnold.
“What a great day to do this,” Cardona said. “We can get these baskets out the weekend of Valentine’s Day to help spread some love.”
It was a new way for the Kiwanis Club to help local children, after the group had to cancel its annual Giving Fair, which typically is held in December, because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
The Giving Fair typically offers a variety of children’s activities, like getting their pictures with Santa Claus, as well as the chance to pick up free coats, hats and gloves.
Kiwanis president Patti Bone said the group reached out to Cavato to see how they could help.
“We said we haven’t had our Giving Fair. Is there something we can do? With that, the ball got rolling,” said Bone, who graduated from Fox High and taught in the district for 30 years.
“She said at Christmastime there are toy drives, coat drives and food drives, but in January, February and March, when they are waiting for income tax refunds to come, they do not have money for personal items they need.”
Kiwanis Club members filled baskets with toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, soap, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, fabric softener, toothbrushes, tooth paste and masks.
Cavato said if a family in need was unable to pick up a basket at the Service Center, then a district staff delivered the basket to them.
“Homelessness has taken on a completely new face, especially with COVID,” Cavato said. “People have lost jobs. They have had to double up living with friends and families. When that many people are living together, it is a strain on everybody financially.
“When they (the Kiwanis Club) reached out and asked if there is something they could do, this was an idea that came to me because this time of year families are struggling to make ends meet. Things like hygiene necessities and laundry detergent are expensive, especially if you have families living together who are financially strained. This meets a need in the community at a time of year when money is tight.”
Bone said the Kiwanis Club was happy to help the students.
“This is what Kiwanis is all about, giving back,” Bone said. “We have not been able to do so much (because of the COVID-19 pandemic). We haven’t had our car show. We didn’t do the Giving Fair. We usually participated in the Easter Egg Hunt.”
Carole Yount, a Kiwanis Club member and Fox school board member, said the organization plans to hold its car show this year. The event is scheduled to start with registration at 8 a.m. Oct. 2 at Arnold City Park, 1 Bradley Beach Road, off Jeff-co Boulevard near the Meramec River.
The car show also features music performances, a quilt raffle and other drawings throughout the day, and trophies are awarded at 3 p.m., Yount said.
Bone and organization secretary and treasurer Karen Attwood said the Arnold Kiwanis Club has 16 members, and the group is always looking to add to its ranks.
The club meets at noon the first Tuesday of every month at Wesley Roger’s Steak and Buffet, 3601 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold, and at 8 a.m. the fourth Tuesday of every month at Sunny Street Cafe, 850 Arnold Commons Drive.
The Kiwanis Club may be contacted through its Facebook page. Bone may be contacted by email at pattibone@charter.net, and Attwood may be reached at kattwood@midlandsb.com.
“It is about giving back to the community and helping the children,” Attwood said. “The more members we have, the more we can give back to the community.”