Mainly clear. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Mainly clear. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

CORALVILLE, Iowa — Piles of toothbrushes, blankets, pajamas and other donated items have found a home — at least temporarily — in the library at Wickham Elementary in Coralville.

A group of fifth and sixth grade students have worked for months to gather the items, so their peers who need them can have an easier time getting a good night’s sleep. The students assorted the items into “bedtime boxes” last week, and they will be donated to Houses into Homes, a local nonprofit that provides household items to families in crisis situations.

“They’re so receptive; they’re pretty astute kids, and they know there are students, even in our building, who don’t have, necessarily, the things they might have,” said Jen Reeger, a second grade teacher who is the adviser to the student “ambassador” group.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports there are approximately 14,500 students in Iowa City Community School District. On average, 300 of them are experiencing homelessness in any given year.

Reeger and the nine students in the leadership group have been working since November to sort out questions like what types of items are needed for an optimal bedtime — they’ve had to narrow down their ideas — and how to gather donations from the 350-student body at Wickham.

They ended up assigning donations to grade levels, gathering new books, stuffed animals, night lights, blankets and pajamas from their peers. The students also wrote a letter to the University of Iowa’s dentistry school and ended up with donated floss, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

The goal was to assemble enough supplies to fill 60 mid-sized cardboard boxes. Collection began the week of Valentine’s Day and reached its goal quickly, culminating with a celebratory pajama day Friday.

The wait list to receive household items like furniture and bedframes from Houses into Homes has risen from an average of 10 or more to between 20 and 40 since August.

Salina McCarty, the organization’s co-founder, said partly that’s because of the end of the pandemic-related eviction moratorium in August. The demand is much higher than the organization has seen in the past, she said.

“A lot of folks are on that August turnover for leases. So it was sort of a workaround for some property owners; they just didn’t renew leases with people,” she said.

The nonprofit works with 34 groups and agencies, including Iowa City schools, to help set families up with the supplies they need because of fire, hospitalization, domestic violence, homelessness or other life events.

“The sooner that individuals and community members realize that they have the power to effect change in the community, and they can actually have impact on the lives of those around them, the better we all are,” McCarty said. “Sometimes, that’s not something that people become aware of until they’re adults.”

The organization is looking for help hosting a “pillow fight,” or a drive for pillows. It also is low on mattresses, box springs and metal bed frames, especially twin and queen size.

The “bedtime box” idea is new to the organization.

“(Knowing) that another person and that kid in the community cared enough to do the work to get that into your home, that makes you feel valued by your community. And every member of our community should feel valued,” she said.

Amber Daubs, principal of Wickham Elementary, said the school makes an effort to start talking with kids early on, in kindergarten, about leadership.

As they get older, they have opportunities to participate in leadership committees like the ambassador program. They also have “office runners,” or students who ask secretaries if there’s anything that could be delivered to classrooms; a safety patrol group; an advisory group to the principal; and a recycling crew that works closely with custodians.

There’s also a “spirit group” of students who work primarily with the school counselor. They have an electronic system to scan in recognition of a student doing something respectful and responsible. The spirit group sets a goal of scans: 70,000 .

“I do think once (you’ve) had the experience of helping someone else, that you just then have that internal drive to continue doing that and being a leader in that way,” Daubs said.