A few small items on your next trip to the grocery store could make a big impact on the NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton.
From individual snacks such as granola bars to Cup-O-Soups, the nonprofit along Wyoming Avenue is looking to stock its shelves to help even more teenagers across Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The NEPA Youth Shelter is an after-school drop-in center and usually sees a spike in teens in the New Year.
Newswatch 16’s Ryan Leckey spotlighted the shelter on Thursday.
Those who run the nonprofit say the "NEPA Youth Shelter provides quality emergency shelter and related services to unaccompanied youth ages 14 through high school graduation from all counties in NEPA.”
The shelter also has a big focus “on social justice and advocacy….for youth from all backgrounds and especially affirming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth, as this population constitutes a high percentage of homeless youth in our area.”
Some of the items most needed include:
-
- Individual snacks- chips, crackers, cookies, granola bars, pop tarts, cup-o-soups, easy mac.
- Powdered drinks - Kool-Aid (with sugar), lemonade, ice tea, individual serving packages of powder in orange & grape.
- New and unopened men's boxers (knit & cotton only), women's underwear (hipsters, briefs, boy shorts), men's muscle t-shirts, women's bras.
- New or gently used winter gloves and hats for teenagers.
You can drop off items Monday through Friday from noon until 8 pm. at the NEPA Youth Shelter. It's located at 541 Wyoming Avenue in Scranton.
The shelter recently lost its sponsor for its Christmas Party on Thursday, December 21. If you're interested in helping with the event, whether it's with party supplies or monetary donations, please contact the executive director Maureen Maher-Gray at 570-909-9671 or email her at nepayouthshelter@gmail.com.
To view the nonprofit's wish list on Amazon, head to this link.
To be connected to the NEPA Youth Shelter's website, head here.
For various ways to donate, click here.
Newswatch 16 was also there when the NEPA Youth Shelter held its ribbon cutting event back in January. You can watch the story at this link.
