Student Council is holding a donation drive for hygiene products Nov. 11 to Dec. 19 for refugees and immigrants to Cleveland in partnership with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).

The drive is accepting a wide range of products, including towels, soaps, hair products, cleaning items and more. 

Student Council Exec. Board President Shreya Chellu, founder and organizer of the drive, explained what motivated her to address this cause.

“I started this drive around three years ago, and it stemmed from research I have done for Model UN conferences when I learned about the situations of refugees and immigrants from around the globe,” she stated. 

She was also motivated by her own experience.

“When I was younger, my family moved a lot,” Chellu said. “My parents are immigrants too, so I really wanted to help provide refugees and immigrants the same sense of community, support, and welcoming that I had whenever I moved to a new community.”

In addition to organizing this drive in partnership with the Cleveland chapter of the USCRI, she has also volunteered for the organization.

“A couple years ago, around the time when I first started volunteering with them, I remember helping set up a home for a family of incoming Syrian refugees,” she said. “We had two days to clean and furnish the apartment.”

Chellu feels it is important to support refugees and immigrants, particularly in areas related to basic needs such as hygiene. She feels it is a human right to be able to take care of oneself and prioritize one’s health.

She also stresses the importance of supporting one another and building community.

“Because the U.S. and many other nations are becoming more diverse, I think it’s important to support each other, to build this lasting sense of connection and community, because that’s what ties us together,” she said.

Chellu says her involvement in this issue has impacted her personally and impacted her career interests. 

“I started studying more about international refugee and humanitarian law and also the process of international development, which is something I hope to continue to research while in college by pursuing an international relations degree,” she said.

She hopes to find additional ways of supporting refugees and immigrants in the future, such as helping with citizenship and voter registration.

Student Council has put collection boxes around the high school and at other district schools and community spaces. The hygiene products will then be sent to the USCRI.

“Usually, my family and I bring the donations to their donation center downtown,” she said. “[These products are delivered to clients] when volunteers help set up new homes for incoming refugees and immigrants.” 

Chellu hopes to surpass last year’s total of 2,080 hygiene products collected.

Chellu emphasizes that personal hygiene items such as shampoo, soap, conditioner and paper towels are greatly needed.

Because of high demand, last year’s donations were used very quickly.

“I remember volunteering over the summer, and the volunteer coordinator told me that the items we’d donated in December were gone (used for home setups) in less than three months,” Chellu said.

Many teachers are giving extra credit for donations. There are posters around the school providing details. The deadline for donations is Dec. 19.