• Donations are being accepted through Thursday in the SVHS Counseling office and Afton Food Pantry.
A Senior at Star Valley High School has organized a coat drive to support community members in need who do not have protection against the cold winter temperatures that are coming.
Katie Dandridge, a Senior at SVHS and an officer with the National Honor Society, has chosen this as her Senior Capstone Project. Each senior enrolled in the Senior Capstone class must choose a project, and Dandridge determined that she would serve by organizing a way to keep the community warm this winter.
“I got the idea from my church a few years ago, and thought that our valley could use it, too,” shared Dandridge in an interview with SVI Media last week. “We are taking donations in the counseling office at the high school, and that will run [through November 17]. November 30, we will be taking all the coats to the Afton Food Pantry. Patrons who come to shop will be able to choose from coats that they need for their family. There will be clean, nice winter coats of all sizes.”
Donors can bring coats for infants, youth, and adults. Katie’s project will continue to accept donations as long as they keep coming. “If I keep getting more and more donations as the season continues, and there is no more need for it at the Afton Pantry, then I will move coats to the other food pantries in the valley.”
Dandridge is enrolled in several college courses at SVHS and plays volleyball, basketball, and soccer, as well. “I applied to [The University of Wyoming] and I think I’ll go there for college. I want to pursue a career in the medical field. At the moment, I would like to become a surgeon.”
In addition to helping community members in need, Dandridge is helping her fellow classmates with this project. NHS members can earn service hours by assisting her and by donating.
“Everyone needs coats and it’s always such a great and humbling to experience to be able to help other people all throughout the community, because you never know what someone is going through,” said Dandridge. “This will be a great help to the community, and it will bring people closer together.”
