Families Helping Families program empowers families to support each other

At the Inukai Family Boys & Girls Club we are undertaking an initiative called Families Helping Families. Through this initiative we are empowering and connecting Club families to help lift one another up when in need.

We have heard loud and clear from our club community that they want a chance to give back to the Club and want a way to show their appreciation how they can. In an effort to honor the desire to give back, as well as kick off our Families Helping Families initiative, we opened the first-monthly Inukai Family Closet.

With the initiative in mind, we put up a modest paper flier on our front door asking for donations from families to give away to families. Families that had a little extra to share were asked to drop off items at the Club, and families that needed a little extra help were able to pick up what they needed.

From that single flier, we got hundreds of pieces of clothing, parent volunteers to run the closet, and multiple social media posts by parents asking for more help. Families that took clothing returned days later with donations of their own, even though they were not asked to! Our Family Closet has turned from a charity into a true closet, with one piece of clothing removed and then replaced by another, without any direction from our staff. We are considering opening the closet more often than once a month due to the volume of donations and desire from families to help and give back.

I am so proud of this community for lifting their own members up. Their strength, resolve, and resilience make me proud to serve them every day. Look for more Families Helping Families projects coming soon to the Inukai Family Boys & Girls Club.