Bret James and Dwight Whitaker talk with KVNU For the People host Jason Williams.
LOGAN — They are celebrating their first year in existence and on KVNU’s For the People program on Tuesday, Cache Valley Humanitarian Center founder and president Dwight Whitaker and also vice president Bret James were in-studio to tell us about the resources they provide.
James said there are many other non-profits and charities that need additional help and resources.
“Some of the ones we work with, I won’t list them all, but the Logan School District, Cache Valley, Preston school districts, Bear River Head Start, the Family Place, Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection, CAPSA, we could go down the list. Largely, what we do, is we provide needed items, those are, mostly so far, back to school kits for kids in the school districts, and then we’ve also provided a lot of hygiene and specifically, feminine hygiene kits, hundreds of those, as well as quilts and blankets and items like that,” he said.
James said they gather the resources and help put them together and give them to other non-profits in Cache Valley that are experts in their own areas and know what the needs are.
They recently made available hygiene kits for homeless individuals, Whitaker said a report from Logan High School indicated that a dozen graduating seniors were homeless while finishing up school. He said they are currently in the process of putting together mats made out of recycled grocery bags.
“We have the Cache County homeless division, BRAG, has ordered five of those to have on hand and we understand that there will be at least probably two a month given away through the food pantry. So, there’s a great need in that area,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said the plastic bags, when they’re woven in to a mat, will increase the body temperature from sleeping on the ground by 30 to 40 degrees. So sometimes it’s a life saving temperature change.
He said as far as their organization’s needs are concerned, they are looking for more space in a permanent location. Whitaker said they are very grateful for Logan City School District in providing them a temporary home on the west side of Mount Logan Middle School in a portable classroom.
“About 22-hundred square feet and we can get about 10 – 15 people at a time in there putting things together given the space that it requires to have for assembly of hygiene kits or backpacks. Then working on our mats for homeless out of the recycled grocery bags. So, we are in the process of trying to come up with a location of somewhere around 10-thousand square feet.”
Whitaker said that would be the ideal situation. Those wanting to help or who want more information can visit CacheValleyHumanitarianCenter.com