Students prepare kits for hurricane victims
USU students heeded the call for help by putting together hygiene kits for victims of the recent hurricanes Wednesday night.
Students Together Ending Poverty,STEP, a student club that works to end hunger and poverty both locally and internationally, met to put together hygiene kits for recent hurricane victims in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Over the past two months Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike have ravaged through the Gulf Coast region of the United States. In the path of destruction, at least 200 people have died and hundreds of others have been left homeless, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Katrina Barker, student director of STEP, said she saw these terrible events as an opportunity for USU students to help. Barker, junior majoring in choral music education, spoke with STEP’s staff adviser and devised a plan.
On Wednesday night that plan was put into action. Twenty students met at the Val R. Christensen Service Center in the TSC to make enough hygiene kits for about 16 families. Each kit included toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, a washcloth, combs and a couple bars of soap.
Although they may not sound like much, to these families who have lost almost all of their possessions the kits will be a most welcome necessity, said Barker. The kits prepared by STEP will be given to LDS Humanitarian Services and then shipped to the areas most in need in the upcoming weeks.
STEP has service events happening throughout the year open to anyone who is interested.
“If you just want service hours or if you want to try to help and make a difference, we’re really happy to have you come to any of our events,” said Barker.
–c.h.j@aggiemail.usu.edu