HELIX CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL - LA MESA

GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

PILT's foray into the the Helix community started with a donation drive to make hygiene "care kits" for PATH.

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Ms. Tina Colera's Art Club students painted and decorated boxes to use as welcome home "baskets" for those who are transitioning to living in a permanent home for the first time.

PILT started its food rescue pilot program with the initiative of Ms. Aleen Jendian, the English Department Chair at Helix.  Excess food  items from the cafeteria were taken daily to PATH's interim facility through December 2021, then weekly to the veteran supportive housing site or one of the senior supportive housing sites.  

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Cafeteria food rescue has been suspended until Helix's cafeteria remodeling project has been completed.

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Under the advisory of Ms. Skullerud, Helix Charter High School chapter of the Key Club held a drive for household and personal care items for PATH San Diego's supportive housing residents.

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Helix, through the librarians Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Bruflat, donated over 6,000 cloth masks to PATH's outreach teams to be distributed throughout San Diego County.

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Many of PATH San Diego's veteran clients arrive with only a backpack. We collected 1,078 items of clothing over Veterans Day week for Veterans in transition.

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169 cans of shelf-stable food were delivered to PATH San Diego's supportive housing site for formerly unhoused Veterans  on  April 4th.

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Helix's (former) food services supervisor sponsored a festive holiday meal for seniors living with chronic medical conditions. He bought the ingredients, cooked the food, and served the meal to the residents alongside PILT members.

In July, Brayden held a celebratory year-end luncheon for the 77 Veterans at their supportive housing site.

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This schoolwide drive collected items for all eight PILT projects to assist PATH San Diego's clients, their gardens, and their pets. A total of 953 items were donated to the 7 supportive housing sites and the Homelessness Response Center.

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When PATH's supportive housing site for formerly unhoused Veterans requested household cleaning supplies for residents, a schoolwide project collected 713 items for them.

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The Environmental Club held a gently-used clothes sale and drive.  We donated 566 items of gently used teen/young adult clothing to Sharia's Closet )to be distributed to foster youth through Just In Time for Foster Youth - San Diego) and 244 items of adult clothing to PATH San Diego.

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The ASA Club held a winter clothing and canned food drive for PATH San Diego's clients.

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PILT launched its pilot program to support unhoused and foster teens and youth through StandUp For Kids San Diego and the  San Diego YMCA's Housing Our Youth program, at Helix.  A total of 1014 hygiene, first aid, and snack items were distributed among teens living on the streets through StandUp For Kids outreach teams, and youth in emergency housing through Housing Our Youth. In addition, 450 items of dental hygiene products donated by La Mesa Dental were also delivered.

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For the 3rd consecutive year the Art Club painted collection boxes for PATH San Diego's annual blanket drive.

315 travel-size items of hygiene products were delivered to the executive director of StandUp For Kids in November and December. PILT members also donated clothes.

224 items of regular sized hygiene products were delivered to formerly unhoused Veterans, 136 to seniors living with chronic medical conditions, and 92 items to PATH's interim shelter residents in November and December.

241 items of regular sized hygiene products were donated to Copley-Price Family YMCA's Housing Our Youth Collaborative in November and December. PILT members at Helix also donated gently-used winter clothes.

Responding to a request from YMCA's Housing Our Youth Collaborative, Helix's National Honor Society members donated 881 diapers to youth parents.

The first interschool project in support of San Diego County YMCA's transitional age foster youth and unsheltered youth was launched at Helix High on January 31. As of February 29th, the students and teachers have donated 206 items in support of our vulnerable peers.