Picture seeing a neighborhood with the walls of homes crumbled or missing completely. Broken dishes sprinkled along what used to be a front yard. Curled and wet photos of families scattered along a driveway. Now picture that they are your walls. Your dishes. Your pictures. That’s what the Club kids at Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County were asked to imagine when discussing what had happened in the Bahamas from Hurricane Dorian, the same storm they were also preparing for but luckily didn’t need to. Children hear adults talking and snippets of destruction on the news. They have an instinct to want to help. “I asked my mom if we can send some of my toys because theirs must be broken,” said Billy at the Morningside Elementary School Club. Beginning this week through Sept. 27 Torch Clubs and Keystone Clubs will spearhead a collection drive through all twenty Clubs for essential, non-perishable items to be collected. “The collection serves two avenues. The first is obvious with the needs of the residents of the Bahamas. The other is that each Club working on collections gives the youth a sense of purpose.” said Will Armstead, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County.

Items suggested for collection are Deodorant, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Shampoo/conditioner, Soap, Bug spray, Band-Aids, Wet wipes, Q-tips, Toilet paper, Small packages of Kleenex, Shaving cream, Cotton balls, Feminine products, Packaged disposable razors, Body powder, Diapers, Baby wipes, Hand sanitizer, Hand lotion, Antibacterial creams. If you would like to donate to the Bahamas collection and contribute to the sense of purpose of the Club Kids please call 772-460-9918 or reach out to the club closest to you from the list at our website https://bgcofslc.org/our-locations/