Quinn Macdonald, a junior at
St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA), recently came up with an idea to help fellow students. She stated, “SJA has so many awesome resources for students, but one thing we were lacking was hygiene products.” Along with the price of food, the cost of hygiene products has increased, which can create hardship for many people.
Quinn said, “For a while, I didn’t know where to start in helping my community, but I knew I wanted to.” She connected with Brynn Evans, the director of development at SJA and the founding and current president of the newest Rotary Club in the Northeast Kingdom.
“Our new club, Rotary Kingdom Impact, is focused on service projects, and the timing of my conversation with Quinn was perfect as we were looking for our next project,” said Brynn. “Rotary does a lot to work with youth, so the thought of helping a high school student bring their idea to life made it even more special. I brought the idea of a hygiene product drive to our group, and everyone jumped on board. We also wanted to broaden the impact, so we decided to hold the drive to support both students at SJA and clients of
Umbrella.”
Throughout the month of March and into April, Rotary Kingdom Impact held a community-wide drive to collect items like shampoo, soap, body wash, lotion, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and deodorant.
98 Mill Italian Pub & Grill held a promotion on Mondays for anyone donating, and drop-off locations were also offered at SJA,
Do North Coworking, and
Union Bank on Portland Street in St. Johnsbury.
Passumpsic Bank donated products, and the club held an in-person drive at
The White Market in St. Johnsbury.
Brynn said, “Yet again, our community stepped up with product and monetary donations. The number of products we ended up with was tremendous and more than we could have hoped for. The generosity we experienced will have a big impact on our local high school students and women and children who work with Umbrella.”
“Umbrella’s mission is to cultivate a Northeast Kingdom where all people thrive free from abuse and oppression,” said Jordan Cady, Umbrella’s associate director of development and communications. “We offer many different programs that serve survivors and children of survivors who experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking. Our advocacy team provides a wide range of services, like identifying emergency housing options, including at our shelter.”
Jordan continued, “These hygiene products will be used for people and families who stay in our shelter. Thanks to Rotary Kingdom Impact, this will provide another layer of comfort for survivors.”
The products donated to SJA will be made available to students through the Student Life Office and Health Services. “I am so thankful to Rotary Kingdom Impact for making this idea a reality so quickly,” said Quinn. “I know that all of the supplies we collected will be used by those who need them.”
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