A donation drive held by ConVal students is looking for pajamas, to be donated to the New Hampshire Foster & Adoptive Parent Association.
Junior Hayden Kaltsas came up with the idea in a business class, and made it happen with the help of the ConVal Interact Club, a community service group that works with Grand Monadnock Rotary Club.
“I’ve been exposed to volunteering with the foster program for quite some time now, and I figured with the colder months, something people take for granted is putting on a nice warm pair of PJs,” Kaltsas said. “It’s not the first idea when people think of donation drives and whatnot.”
Like many other activities, the club was put on hold during the beginning of the pandemic, but when it started back up, Kaltsas got involved.
“I was really excited to join in,” Kaltsas said. “I do enjoy doing community service, which lots of students may not enjoy.”
With the club, she put together the logistics of the pajama drive, setting out collection boxes in various locations: the high school, Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, Grappelli’s Pizza and almost every library in each ConVal town, many of whom heard about the drive after it began and requested to join in.
This, Kaltsas said, was the hardest part about putting together the drive, due to the need to coordinate and communicate with so many people.
“Other than that, it was pretty simple,” she said, just putting together a flyer, making posters, and connecting with the foster and adoptive parent association.
“Hayden had the energy but also the initiative to bring her idea,” said the club’s faculty adviser, Leslie Holcombe, an English teacher at ConVal High School. “We really like it when students identify need in the community and take steps to make things happen. It’s not a typical drive; it’s not canned food, it’s not money. It’s looking for something concrete and precious and special.”
So far, according to Kaltsas, the drive has seen a lot of participation, with some pajamas in the high school’s drop-off box.
“Many people are willing to support this drive,” she said.
The drive, initially scheduled to end on Dec. 20, will now be open to donations until Jan. 10. All are welcome to donate at any of the drop-box locations, including the high school, regardless of whether someone has a student at the school.