VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Five hundred backpacks filled with food for students across Volusia County are being delivered this week. Jennifer Watley, district homeless liaison for Volusia County Schools, dropped off several to Holly Hill School on Monday.
“We’ve had a great collaboration with the sheriff’s office this year. They spearheaded this whole drive,” Watley said.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood along with the Volusia County school district told News 6 there are 2,000 homeless students in the area.
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“This year with COVID-19, and partnering with the school board, we’ve seen a spike, a dramatic spike in homeless Volusia County students,” Chitwood said. “I think all of us said, wow, it kind of took your breath away to realize that we have kids living in campgrounds, we have kids living on A1A in those cheap dingy little hotel rooms with families that are living there.”
The Volusia Sheriff’s Youth Foundation also teamed up with the Volusia County Elected Constitutional Officers and the Volusia County School Board for its first joint fundraiser to collect gift cards for food, gasoline and hotels for those students.
“We had two fundraisers over the weekend where we raised tens of thousands of dollars to go toward our youth foundation, which helps homeless students but also helps other students and other families in our community,” Chitwood said.
The Volusia Sheriff Deputies Toy Shop is a warehouse full of clothes, hygiene products, electronics, bikes and toys for families who are in need. The sheriff’s office said the families are selected before they receive these items.
“If we can make one day as normal and happy as possible, that’s our goal. I can’t control 365 days a year, but we can certainly control one day and that one day, maybe will change lives,” Chitwood said.
Visit the Volusia Sheriff’s Youth Foundation to donate.