At Amador Valley High School, the Homeless Hearts Club has taken on the mission of assembling and distributing care packages for those in need. The club brings warmth and hope to a neglected community.
Procuring the money for these care packages is a key part of the process. The club fundraises through “dime-to-donate” programs at local restaurants, receiving a cut of the proceeds.
“We contact the owners of whatever location we’re going to, and then we sign up on their website. Often the officers themselves go and ask them if we can do a fundraiser. All customers need to do when they check out their food is to say that they’re here for the Homeless Hearts fundraiser,” said Amishi Jha, Homeless Hearts Vice President.
In order to receive money from the restaurant, the fundraiser must meet a certain monetary threshold.
“There’s a minimum amount of money we have to make in order to get 20% of the profits. So we try to raise as much awareness as we can by doing social media posts and then announcing it at club meetings and emails,” said Jha.
Afterward, club members hand-make care packages to deliver to the various non-profits in the Tri-valley area.
“We use that money and we buy materials from places like Costco. Then we pack those materials with our club members, and we ship them out to Open Heart Kitchen, and those go out to the homeless community,” said Jha.
Outside of these care packages, Homeless Hearts helps spread awareness through brochures and social media.
“Our club actually consists of two committees. We have an art committee and we have a writing committee. For the brochures we made, our art committee designed them and our writing committee was the one to write the information,” said Jha.
Members founded the club in response to growing homelessness in cities in the Bay Area, like San Francisco and Oakland.
“Even the non-profit organizations right now, they do their best, but it’s not always enough. That’s where we got the idea to start this club and to help out these non-profit organizations and places nearby that we can do something about,” said Jha.
While it’s not Amador’s largest club, members of Homeless Hearts praise its welcoming atmosphere and sense of community.
“It’s really welcoming and everyone gets along really well. Everyone talks to each other; it’s not separated into friend groups. Everyone is collaborating together,” said Jha.
