Currently, there are about 3.5 million people in the United States who live on the streets and have no place to call “home.” Everyone, including the home-less, has days when all they want is to forget about the problems and things that are happening in their life; during times like these, most people turn to one out-lit—reading. To support the homeless adults and children in the local area, Seniors Andrew and Brian Hazerjian recently organized a book drive for Walpole High School’s National Honor Society; it ran from Tuesday, October 15th through Friday, November 8th. They asked for new or gently used books for children or adults, including new or almost new baby board books—all of which were placed in the box located in the front lobby. The donated books are being used to benefit the organizations of The Women’s Lunch Place as well as Horizons for Homeless Children. Hazerjian said, “People always have books they want to get rid of. This worth-while cause gave people a chance to get rid of books they didn’t want and help people at the same.”
The Women’s Lunch Place, located in Boston, aids poor or homeless women by offering a place where they can have nutritious, home-cooked meals during the day. The women are given various social, educational, and advocacy services as well as personal care items, emergency clothing, free on-site health care, classes and field trips. The Horizons for Homeless Children is located in Roxbury and works to improve the lives of young homeless children and their families. It focuses mainly on the education of homeless children, serving over 5,000 children each year. Both organizations work hard to have a positive influence in the lives of those who are poverty-stricken and need help from others. The Hazerjian brothers decided these two organizations would be great to donate to; Andrew Hazerjian said, “A family friend was telling us about Women’s Lunch Place because she works there, and as for Horizons for Homeless Children, my brother and I run our church teen group and before learning they were looking for books, we donated blankets there before.”
Despite what most people probably believe, the NHS book drive had great results and were able to attract much participation. Andrew Hazerjian said, ” We have taken a lot of time sorting the books and were glad there were so many. I am thrilled we were able to organize the book drive and the results were better than expected.” By donating books, the NHS and those who were kind enough to contribute take part in helping improve countless lives in the local area. Brian Hazerjian said, “When I brought the books to the charity, the smiles on the faces of the people there warmed me up.” Now, the less fortunate people from the local areas are truly thankful—all thanks to the efforts of NHS and those who donated books.
