Jessica Personifies Caring
Those who know Jessica know what a caring person she is. Recently, she has been very concerned about the homeless population, questioning where they sleep, shower and how they get the things they need.
Jessica is a person supported by Citizen Care’s In-Home and Community Supports program. She is also a member of Citizen Care’s Cool Guys / Cool Girls social group. It was during a recent gathering of the group that Jessica expressed her worry about the homeless community to staff and her desire to do something to help.
“I feel so bad,” explained Jessica. “I just want to do something to help them.”
It was an easy decision to put together hygiene kits that would be distributed to local persons who are homeless.
“Jessica worked with staff to identify items for each kit,” explained Tricia Dethlefs, Services and Supports Coordinator for Citizen Care’s In-Home and Community Supports program. “Once a list was compiled, items were ordered online and assembled by the Cool Guys/Cool Girls program as a whole, with Jessica taking the lead.”
The group was eager to help out and Citizen Care staff assisted throughout the process as well. Twenty-four kits were created, each containing essentials such as soap, combs, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, first-aid bandages, razors and more.
The hygiene kits were donated to the Outreach Team of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which supports people experiencing homelessness.
“We are so proud of her efforts,” said Dethlefs. “In recent months, Jessica has started to speak up more about the ways she wants to give back to others. We’re happy to help her make these things a reality.”