One of the programs of the Kiwanis Club of South Sarasota is that of assisting the Clothes Closet’s Children=s Coalition program.  This program furnishes clothing and toiletry items to the 400-500 foster children in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto Counties.  At the request of a Kiwanis Club member, the Hammock Beach Resort on the East coast of Florida enthusiastically contributed a large quantity of extra and left over toiletries and sewing kits for the program.

Foster children are the forgotten children.  These children have been abused or neglected.  They are removed from their home and many times they come with only the clothes on their backs.  They do not have adequate clothing, school supplies and toiletries items.

The first two weeks that a child is moved to a foster home is traumatic and stressful on the child and hectic on the foster parents.  The toiletry items collected for the Clothes Closet will be sorted into small bags for the convenience of the foster parents.  The toiletries can provide the children the comfort of their own shampoo and body wash.  The Clothes Closet also provides the children with several sets of clothing.

The items were picked up and transported back to Sarasota in Warren Hickernell’s SUV.  The Clothes Closet accepted the lightly used donated clothing, shampoo, hair conditioner and body wash on behalf of the foster children.

The Kiwanis Club of South Sarasota donated all of the body lotion, blankets and sewing kits, which filled up the SUV, to the Blue Star Mothers, Inc. for transport to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The Kiwanis Club of South Sarasota knows that people CAN make a difference - and they expect all Kiwanis Club members to take active roles in their clubs.  Interested?  Call Warren at 941-232-5738 to learn more and to join us at one of our lunch meetings.