A fourth-grader at Pond Elementary School recently lent a helping hand to the St. Louis area’s homeless population.
Alina Logush, 9, of Wildwood delivered 90 “blessing bags” on Jan. 13 to the St. Patrick Center at 800 N. Tucker Blvd. in downtown St. Louis. The bags contained essential items to be distributed to the center’s clients.
Alina said the bags included a pair of wool socks, a packet of Kleenex, a packet of tuna, a granola bar, five bandages, a toothbrush and two travel-sized tubes of toothpaste, and warmers, lip balm and a package of cough drops. She also said five sanitary napkins were put in bags distributed to women.
Alina’s mother, Jen Logush, said extra toothpaste and tampons also were donated to St. Patrick Center.
Alina said she collected donations from friends and family from Nov. 13 through Dec. 13. Jen said a wish list on Amazon was made for needed items.
“Every day it was like Christmas,” Jen said. “We would get a package, Alina would open it and we would take pictures, and we posted on Facebook thanking those who had donated.”
Jen said Alina became passionate about helping the homeless after seeing their plight in downtown St. Louis.
Alina said seeing people holding signs asking for help makes her “sad.”
“I always wished that I could just help them, but I didn’t know how,” she said.
Alina said she did research on what was best to put in the bags.
“We put a package of tuna so that they could have something to eat,” she said. “We put wool socks because sometimes when you’re homeless, you need wool socks to help keep your feet warm in the winter.”
Alina said she hopes to donate another set of “blessing bags” during the summer that might include items such as sunscreen.
Jen said she is “extremely proud and humbled” by her daughter’s giving spirit.
“Alina has just an amazingly big heart and always is compassionate about those in need,” she said.
This is not the first time Alina has taken action to help. She said last summer, she ran a lemonade stand that raised $100.
“Half of it went to one of the animal shelters, and the other half went to Circle of Concern Food Pantry (of St. Louis),” she said.