Brother-Sister Duo Pack 72 Dental Hygiene Care Kits for Homeless

Bel Air, Md. -- A team of school-aged children focused a major community service project earlier this month on dental hygiene practices of poor mothers with children, the fastest growing homeless group in the country. Dental care is one of th biggest challenges this group faces.

The children called their project a Dental Care Kits Popup Party, a spontaneous get-together hosted by a brother-sister duo Gurnek Chhatwal, 8, and Deetya Chhatwal, 11, of Bel Air. Both sit on the all-youth board of advisors of the We Cancerve Movement, Inc., a Maryland-based nonprofit that brings happiness to homeless, sick and foster children through a series of youth-created and youth-led projects and initiatives. This project was deliberately set to recognize October as National Dental Hygiene Month. Their event resulted in 72 dental care kits being stuffed one weeknight in earlier this month.

“The area children who are poor or homeless may not yet know how important dental care and healthy teeth are. With these kits, we are increasing awareness and the chance of them doing right things to take care of their teeth,” said Deetya Chhatwal, project co-lead.

Her brother Gurnek chimed in: “Dental care is important to me. You should have healthy teeth as kids to have healthy teeth as a grown up. My parents ask me to care about my teeth. Me helping others take care of their teeth makes me feel good.”

The Chhatwal duo collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash they packaged in decorative bags. They set up an assembly line and instructed community volunteers - teenagers and adults - including We Cancerve board members Grace Callwood and Ashlee Brockwell, and community volunteer Alexis Lary, on how to fill the dental kits.

Half of the kits were delivered last week to the Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Resource Center, or SARC, in Bel Air. According to its website, the SARC has a 28-bed shelter in a communal living environment for survivors of abuse and their children for up to six months.

The other half of the kits was delivered to the Youth Empowerment Society, or YES Shelter, in Baltimore. According to its website, YES Drop-In Center is Baltimore City’s first and only drop-in center for homeless youth. YES Drop-In Center is a safe space for youth who are homeless and between the ages of 14-25, to get basic needs met and establish supportive relationships with peer staff and allies that them make and sustain connections to long-term resources and opportunities.

For Deetya, organizing a project that will benefit area homeless youth “feels very good because I am not doing it to get anything in return, I am doing it to serve those who need it. Area homeless youth may not have adequate facilities to take care of themselves so this project helps with that.”

This, like all We Cancerve Movement projects, was supported through donations from the community. In addition to stuffing dental care kits, the group stuffed more than 60 toiletries kits with miniature shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap or body wash, which will be donated to area shelters in November.

“It feels good that (the community) believes in what we are doing. Their donations help us do our work and provide kits like these to area youth that may not have the same things I do. I feel encouraged to explore more ideas like this,” said Gurnek.

The We Cancerve Movement, Inc., is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that creates giving opportunities that can be supported by the community to bring happiness to homeless, sick and foster children. Inspired by a call to serve vulnerable children in sad situations, the We Cancerve Movement believes that love is active, strong, urgent, practical and possible. We Cancerve believes solutions are swift because happiness shouldn’t have to wait. Interested in getting involved? Contact us today at peoplewhocare@wecancerve.org.