By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Members of Otsego High School’s National Honor Society are helping those who might be in need of assistance when it comes to staying warm this winter.
From now until Friday, Jan. 27, the group is sponsoring a Share the Warmth campaign to collect winter wear for the homeless in West Michigan.
Items being collected include new hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and socks, which will be donated to the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission.
OHS math teacher Katie Wideen serves as the advisor for the NHS.
“Each month, the NHS students come up with ideas of projects that they have thought of and then we vote on which one the group wants to do,” she said. “This project was suggested because a couple of students wanted to do something to help those who might not have the resources to stay warm during the harsh Michigan winters. The rest of the group really liked the idea, so we ran with it.”
Donation boxes are located at the entrance of each school building in the district.
“The project is going great,” Wideen said. “The back of my classroom is filling up with lots of items.
“We are one week in with two weeks to go and we have well over 100 items so far. There is no particular goal since this is the first year doing it. The kids just want to be able to bless as many as possible this winter.”
So far, many of the items that have been collected are adult sizes. Wideen said more children-sized items would be appreciated as well.
In addition to the collection boxes at the district’s schools, the NHS will also be accepting donations during the boys and girls basketball games on Friday, Jan. 20.
“We also have an Amazon Wish List set up, if people want to donate by buying something off of that,” Wideen said.
The link for the Amazon Wish List is https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1R4AWDS3ZSRMG?ref_=wl_share.
“The kids are super excited about this project and I am so amazed by the compassion for those who may not be as fortunate as they are,” Wideen said.