NANKIN — The Mapleton High School chapter of the National Honor Society broke its own record of pajamas collected at the school’s annual drive this month
The students collected 152 pairs of pajamas from Nov. 12 to Dec. 5, breaking the former record of 120 pairs in 2022.
Each year, students collect new pajamas starting in the fall and all donations are given to the Ashland County Foster Care program.
“This project is especially important because it benefits children in our own community,” Mapleton High School teacher Kerry Reisinger said in a press release.
“The foster care program was a great option to keep donations for local children and have a direct impact. The donations are used at Christmas time as part of the Christmas giving so that foster children have gifts and essential items.”
NHS has collected 688 pairs of pajamas for foster children in Ashland County since 2020.
This year, there are 18 NHS students involved in the project who helped promote the pajama drive by posting it on their personal social media accounts and sharing the information with friends and family.
Renee Fox, Foster Care and Adoption Supervisor for Ashland County Jobs and Family Services, said the agency is very grateful to have the pajamas every year.
“We have kids in and out of our care and custody all the time and often they come into our care with very few items, including a matching pair of pajamas,” Fox said.
“Many care givers are on limited income so the fact that we are able to help them in this very important time shows just how much the community cares about these kids in Ashland County.”
Advisor Kerry Reisinger said the drive will continue each year as long as the students and
community keep supporting the effort.
“We are proud of this project and the positive impact it has on local children,” Reisinger said.
The NHS students regularly volunteer at Ashland County organizations and in May, the students help organize Mapleton Cares Day, where all high school students volunteer in different places around the county.
Some of those places include parks, fire stations, churches and nonprofits such as the Salvation Army Ashland Kroc Center.
