Our 10 year old son, Shaan, has a special interest in preventing hunger and homelessness. Since participating in a project with his class last year that involved serving food to members of our community facing poverty, he has been looking for other ways to continue addressing this important need. As with many things, the pandemic limited the opportunities that a boy his age had to participate in hands-on service.
Fortunately, when Heartland Hope Mission (https://heartlandhopemission.org) reached out to the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Foundation requesting assistance, we knew that Shaan would be the right guy to handle the project.
Heartland Hope Mission is a local charitable organization that provides basic necessities such as food, hygiene items and clothing to working poor families through their two pantry locations. One of the things Shaan loves most about this program is that they allow families to choose their own item, ensuring they choose items they will actually be able to use and enjoy. He also loves that they promote self sufficiency and future food security by helping families with SNAP assistance and employment resources.
Shaan began his work by volunteering at the Millard pantry where he spent most of his time restocking items as clients shopped. He then wrote a proposal to his Head of School asking for help with gathering donations. We were very grateful that Brownell Talbot (brownell.edu) accepted his proposal and the donation drive is currently underway! From now until May 28, we will be collecting non perishable food, new/ gently used clothing, and hygiene items such as shampoo and toothpaste.
We are already feeling the love of the Brownell Talbot community and have already received a number of donations including cookie donations from the Brownell Talbot Daisy Girl Scout troop! If you have any items you would like to contribute to Shaan’s donation drive for Heartland Hope Mission, please contact us at info@saxenafamilyfoundation.com. We appreciate your help in supporting this incredible cause!