The MTHS Key Club’s toiletry drive has been more successful than years past, according to advisor and psychology teacher Kimberly Nelson.
The month-long charity project began March 14 and is set to accept donations until this Friday, April 14. Most of the donations come from Key Club members standing outside the Mountlake Terrace QFC from 3 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but students and staff are also invited to bring donations to Nelson’s classroom, room 115 or the main office. This year, there is a mountain of feminine hygiene products lining up a wall in Nelson’s classroom, next to a table full of bags of other miscellaneous toiletries. So far, with still until Friday to collect other donations, Nelson confirmed that the donations have doubled compared to most years.
About 10 members gather outside QFC each assigned day, greeting people who enter the store and handing them the flier with what they are invited to donate -ranging from gender neutral hair and skin products to feminine hygiene products and makeup. Community members also give the club members cash donations, which Key Club uses to buy other inexpensive toiletries, Nelson explained as she searched for soap to buy online.
Furthermore, Key Club president Elizabeth Kisler said the members assemble “homeless bags,” Ziploc bags filled with essentials, such as shampoo, deodorant, face wipes, a body towel and a face cloth. Kisler described the items as things that most homeless people can’t afford, but need greatly.
The chairpeople for this drive are senior Aarthi Yogendran and sophomore Ivy Perez, who are in charge of contacting QFC and general advertising, including posters around the school and local community and creating the fliers with the information about the drive and which toiletries are welcomed.
All proceeds go toward Pathways For Women, a homeless shelter designed for abused women and the Cocoon House in Everett, a teen homeless shelter.
