School outreach program prepares gift-filled stockings

The Title I Homeless Outreach Program for Education has been helping teens for more than 20 years, but this holiday season, organizers for its Stuff a Stocking Donation Project are looking for more help from the community.

“Each year, we give out about 2,500 stockings, and we have a wish list for 250 to 300 more,” project facilitator Sue Goldman said. “This year, the demand is so great that we’re really trying to get the word out.”

The mission of the Clark County School District-run Title I HOPE program is to enroll homeless children, but that just scratches the surface.

“We don’t just make sure they’re enrolled, we get them free breakfast and lunch,” Goldman said. “We help provide school supplies, backpacks, glasses, tutoring, scholarships and the whole gamut.”

The program began when an attendance officer realized there were students who weren’t coming to school because they didn’t have what they needed to attend. The staff has grown to 13 members, each of whom handles about 60 schools.

“I was here at the beginning, in about 1992,” Goldman said. “There were just two of us in the program, and we just took calls. Now we have an advocate in each one of our 357 schools who helps us.”

The program has identified more than 9,200 homeless children. The reasons for the students’ homelessness varies. Some have families that are having financial difficulty, while others may be fleeing domestic abuse. Still others lack the proper documents to enroll.

The problem is so severe that several organizations exist to combat it, including Street Teens, Project 150 and the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.

“The kids are important, so that’s why we do what we can,” said Meli Pulido, executive director of Project 150. “Our volunteers are preparing 1,100 meal bags that will be delivered to homeless teens right before Thanksgiving.”

The Stuff a Stocking Donation Project brings gifts to homeless children who may otherwise get nothing. Organizers ask residents interested in donating to fill a new, medium-sized stocking with $15 to $20 worth of new toys or personal hygiene items. Recommended items also include gift cards for fast-food eateries or department stores, gloves, socks, movie tickets, books and lotions.

The stocking should be sealed to keep the gifts from falling out, and a label should be attached, indicating if the gifts are for a girl or a boy and if they are intended for an elementary, middle or high school student.

The stockings are scheduled to be delivered by Dec. 9 to the Title I Hope office, 2501 E. Sunrise Ave. For more information, call Goldman at 702-855-6682.

Contact East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.