Before leaving school and jumping into summer vacation, McKenna Kee and Mekaylah Palmer, rising seniors at the Academy for Classical Education, wanted to do something for our community, with help from their school.

This week, the girls went around their school hanging up flyers, putting out boxes, and asking people to donate backpacks to the Brookdale Warming Center.

“It took off from there, but we ended up with so much more,” said Kee. “We got toiletries, money, and other donations.”

“It really wasn’t that hard,” said Palmer. “Everyone at our school wanted to help. They filled a box the first day we put it out.”

On Thursday, the girls went to the Brookdale Warming Center and dropped off more than 200 backpacks filled with toiletries for guests. They hope this won’t be the last trip either and encourage others do small acts of kindness.

“Our goal is to have every senior class from every high school, when they’re getting ready to graduate, to donate their bookbags and leave their legacy behind by donating to the Brookdale Warming Center,” said Kee. “We’d like them to continue what we started.”

The Brookdale Warming Center is always in need of donations such as, pillows, men and women’s underwear, bottled water, Visa gift cards, and snacks. They also need volunteers. If you’d like to donate, click here.