Fallston Recreational Soccer, Basketball Teams Donate Toiletries

(Abingdon, MD) -- Members of the Fallston Flames U15 Girls soccer team sponsored a sock drive last Fall for homeless youth, a project they took on with the We Cancerve Movement, the area nonprofit created by youth for youth.

But as soccer season ended and the Fallston Lady Cougars U15 basketball season began, an all-star network of compassionate athletes formed. They pooled resources and delivered more than 200 pairs of socks, toiletries and after-school snacks to the Eastside Family Emergency Shelter in Rosedale, Md., in January.

The soccer team initially collected about 180 pairs of socks from the girls and their families. But theirs was no ordinary sock drive: they stuffed more than 100 pair with assorted toiletries and small toys, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, soap, shampoo, conditioner, wipes, hand sanitizer, lotion, lip balm, band-aides, body wash, hair ties, combs and tissues. In addition, they collected fruit snacks, granola bars, crackers, gum, mints, ribbon and fidget spinners

“My daughter and I were talking about it and she said she felt like it was important to help others,” said Mary Salvatierra of her daughter Mia, 13, an eighth-grade student at Fallston Middle School. “She said it felt good to do something worthwhile that helped others. She was really happy that her friends, teammates and their families were so willing to help. She really liked doing it with her friends and spending time with her teammates. Even though they love playing sports, they like to do other things together too, and it was a fun and easy project that helped others."

The basketball team stuffed about 100 pair of socks with the message rocks, snacks and toiletry items and tied them with ribbon. With leftover toiletries, the team stuffed them in zipper-lock bags and turned them into a few dozen toiletry kits for homeless women and children.

A significant amount of the donated dental items was provided generously by the Bel Air Smile Partners. The team also donated $35 to the Eastside shelter -- a $1 for every girl who volunteered with the project.

“It makes me feel inspired by the amount of dedication these girls had in taking on such a huge project. They took this project to another level that we greatly appreciate. Partnerships are key in community service and they have been a good example of that,” said Grace E. G. Callwood, 13, founder, a seventh-grade student at Edgewood Middle School.

The We Cancerve Movement, Inc., was founded in 2012 to bring swift solutions to children in need because shouldn’t have to wait. The organization, run by an all-youth board of advisors, creates projects that can be supported by the community to bring happiness to sick, homeless and foster children. We Cancerve created Camp Happy in 2015, a free summer enrichment day camp for children at Anna’s House in Bel Air and Harford Family House in Aberdeen. In 2016, they created Breakfast Bags Bonanza, which has delivered almost 2,000 individual bags of breakfast to homeless children in Harford County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City.

For more information about We Cancerve, email peoplewhocare@wecancerve.org.