Hands4Hope toiletry drive helps fire victims

The 12th annual Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference Toiletries Drive benefited those who lost their homes in the Caldor Fire as well as those in our community struggling to make ends meet. Seven local elementary schools collected more than 6,900 items during the two- week drive held in mid-February. The Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference Community Engagement Interns from Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Placerville contacted elementary schools in their geographic areas of focus to encourage them to host toiletries drives. Each school advertised their drive through posters and fliers that included information about the items to collect such as dental supplies, body wash, sunscreen, kleenex and lotion. In addition, Datwyler Orthodontics in El Dorado Hills hosted a collection. All the donated toiletries were picked up from the participating schools and sorted and counted by Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference youth volunteers at after-school events. The toiletries will be donated to various agencies throughout El Dorado and Sacramento counties, including Loaves & Fishes and Green Valley Community Church, as well as distributed to people directly affected by the Caldor Fire. Additionally, the toiletries have been well-received by families benefiting from the Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference Emergency Food Pantry in Placerville. The Traveling Trophy is given to the school that collects the most toiletries in each geographical area. The 2022 winners of the Traveling Trophy were Jackson Elementary, Gold Ridge Elementary, and California Montessori Project. A huge thank you to Natoma Station Elementary, Oak Meadow Elementary, Country Day Montessori, and Gold Trail Elementary for giving the winners a tough challenge. Thank you to Datwyler Orthodontics for their tremendous support in contributing to the total items. Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference is a nonprofit, youth-driven organization with the mission to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service. The nonprofit offers hands-on education and community engagement opportunities to youth from kindergarten through 12th-grades via school-based and after-school programs in Sacramento and El Dorado counties. For more information, visit hands4hopeyouth.org or call 916-294-7426.