Keokuk High School students in need of a meal, hygiene products, or clean clothes can now find help at school.
The new service is called the Keokuk Caring Corner. It includes a food pantry, donated toiletries, and a washer and dryer. In addition, it’s near a shower stall. Any student in need is welcome to take food or hygiene products, wash their clothes, or take a shower.
New Principal Nathan Harrison said the idea grew out of a conversation he had with a teacher, who told him she would put quarters and a Tide pod in zip-lock bags and hand them out to any student who asked or needed clean clothes.
“So, the question came up -- what facilities do we have and what can we do to better serve our students?” Harrison said.
He said A.J. Fuhrman, the pastor of The Crossing church in town, responded by donating the washer, dryer and personal hygiene products.
“I shared this this vision or this idea with him of what we could do to really do things differently for students here at Keokuk High School and to serve them in a way that they really needed to be served outside of the classroom, as well and to provide a safe space to do that,” Harrison said.
“So that's kind of where the vision for this was born.”
Harrison said students can also receive meals and supplies before and after school and on the weekends. He said the Keokuk Caring Corner is a new way for the school district to give back to its students.
“We're actually going to try to keep it open through the day, all day, every day, at school and even for a little bit of time after hours,” he said.
“We have students who have volunteered to do that during the school day and some teachers who have volunteered for before and after school time. So, it really has been a community effort to get it put together.”
Harrison said he is excited to see the impact that it has and the help that it can give to students.
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