CUMBERLAND — When the governor’s office reached out to County United Way Executive Director Michele Walker about a service project, she had the perfect idea in mind — hygiene kits for public school students in Allegany County.
“I thought, what the heck, I’ll do it,” Walker said.
County United Way recently set out to pack over 200 hygiene kits for students at Westmar and Mount Savage middle school students.
At first, less than 20 volunteers signed up for the event, but as the work began, an “overwhelming” amount of support showed up, according to Walker.
The event, which was in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, aimed to serve children of families that may be struggling to make ends meet.
Walker said some of the most requested items come from families with children at area middle schools.
“Kids going to school with no underwear, no socks,” she said. “They don’t have shampoo, they don’t have deodorant.”
One of the major concerns for Walker and United Way is the mental and physical toll that can take on students, especially in middle school years.
“We all know that middle school is an adjustment,” said Walker. “Bullying could possibly be pretty bad.”
This isn’t the first time the County United Way has done such an event — hygiene kits were delivered to students at Braddock and Washington middle schools with the same incentives in mind.
“It’s something that we do all the time,” Walker said.
According to Walker, the hygiene kits benefit families that are part of what is known as Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed population, or ALICE.
These families earn just above the federal poverty limit, but don’t make enough money to meet some of the basic needs of family life.
County United Way said there is a growing population of ALICE households in the region, so focusing on the group is crucial to the nonprofit’s overall mission.
“Most of the people coming to us are people that have never had to ask for help before,” said Walker. “It’s the individuals that are working one to two, maybe three jobs.”
Walker said that many families in the region are struggling due to rising costs and inflation.
“Whether people know it or not, everybody knows ALICE,” said Walker. “It could be your family, friends or coworkers.”