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Two Family House Partnerships Highlight Back to School
Efforts to Benefit Families and Children in Need
Reneé Palacios, executive
director, Family House Toledo, announced this week that the
shelter is partnering with Fifth-Third Bank and Co-Mission
Toledo on two separate events to help ready families and
children at Family House for the start of the upcoming
school year.
Family House is a
non-profit agency dedicated to keeping families together in
time of crisis. Since 1985 they have offered emergency
assistance to those in need of shelter, meals, or other
services. Family House serves an estimated 650 individuals
--- 60 percent are children. Family House offers Basic Needs
Program; Family Programming; Health Education Program;
Children’s Education Needs; as well as Housing Placement &
After-Care. Family House admits residents 24 hours a day,
whether in an emergency situation – women experiencing
domestic abuse; flood, fire, or tornado victims – or victims
of unemployment or financial burden. Family House Toledo
serves over 35,000 meals per year.
Palacios says that now
through Friday August 12, the Fifth-Third employees are
collecting unique school supplies for Family House children
at the bank’s One Seagate location in Downtown Toledo.
“These are the
non-traditional items that are included in supply lists such
as: index cards, antibacterial wipes, ziplock bags, and
more. They are also collecting underwear for the kids. It
seems the school supply lists get a bit longer each year,
and non-traditional items such as ziplock bags and paper
towels are included," Palacios said. "Family House accepts
clothing donation from our community, however we cannot
accept used undergarments. Our hope is to provide not only
the uniforms that kids need to go back to school, but a few
pair of new underwear as well."
Palacios says on Monday,
August 15, the collected supplies will be dropped off at
Family House.
On Tuesday, August 16,
from 4 - 8 p.m., Family House will partner with Co-Mission
Toledo to host a “Back 2 School” Bash at the shelter at 669
Indiana Ave. in Toledo.
“We are celebrating the
great new start to the upcoming school year. We will have
a family-fun event with inflatables, yard games, music, corn
hole, refreshment, as well as offering haircuts and
collecting more school supplies,” said Palacios.
The event is free and open
to the public.
“It’s rare that shelters
take-in the entire family. Family House – Toledo is one of
the few in the state that offers this service. We keep
families together in the most desperate of times. The
average age of a homeless child is four years old,” she
said. “We thank both Fifth-Third Bank and Co-Mission
Toledo for their efforts to partner with Family House to
help with back-to-school efforts as well as support the
emergency shelter service and life changing programming we
offer to families and children.”
Donations are
tax-deductible and Family House is an A-Plus rated charity
by the BBB.
For more information on
Family House, visit
www.familyhousetoledo.org.
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