St. Charles students help make 'Comfort Kits' for kids moving to foster homes

BOARDMAN

St. Charles School students huddled around tables in the cafeteria busying themselves with measuring, cutting and tying for a good cause.

The fifth- through eighth-graders were making blankets Tuesday morning for Making Kids Count, a nonprofit organization that helps children in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Ashtabula and Portage counties.

“We give Comfort Kits to children who are being removed from their homes and placed in foster homes,” said Shelly Marlowe of the organization.

The kits include pajamas, toiletries, school supplies and the blankets.

“Some of these kids leave their homes without anything or they have their things in a trash bag,” Marlowe said.

The St. Charles students enclosed a note with their blankets.

That and the fact the blankets are handmade makes them extra special, Marlowe said.

Eighth-grader Gina Ricciardi, 14, said the project is part of Catholic Schools Week observed at the school.

“When [a child] gets a blanket, I hope they get a sense that there are people in the community that care and who want to help them,” she said.

Read more about the project in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.