Last year alone the nearby homeless shelter was forced to turn away 265 children and their families because House of Hospitality (HOH) did not have enough capacity to provide everyone with much needed shelter.
These unfortunate statistics raised awareness in Beltrami County and finally the community chose to take action.
Every year, Bemidji State University (BSU) supports the annual Bags of Wishes donation drive, a charity event that originated five years ago by a social work student who saw the need to help assist homeless shelters with goods, necessities and need for space.
During the week of Nov. 16-20, the Social Work Club and other volunteers will be placing plastic bags across campus. These bags will be hung on each dorm room and office doorknob on campus and will contain a "wish list" of all the items that the homeless shelter could use.
Each building will be designated different items to focus on and once the bags are full they can be dropped off at the designated drop-box located in each building by Nov. 20 at 12 p.m.
With the help of BSU’s Social Work Club and the HOH, BSU students, faculty and staff alike are welcomed to help donate items provided on a wish list for families in need of assistance at nearby shelters.
These donations will provide guests with coupons for a haircut or a bus ride along with a meal and the ability to wash their clothes or provide them with new ones.
Even the smallest donations can make the biggest difference.
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