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Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 51F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. Low 39F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

The staff and administrators at Bradford Area High School have been stocking the shelves of the Eleos Room over the last two years without anyone outside the walls even realizing such a room existed.

Many high school students need supplies that most take for granted. Items students need include canned food with pop-top lids, microwavable meals, food with long shelf life or that is shelf stable, laundry soap, shampoo and conditioner, bath soap, clothing, and the list goes on.

BAHS Guidance Counselor Bob Neumann said of the room, “it is a low key way to help our students who need just about anything — no questions asked — fill out the form, there is a link in the students’ emails, and we will fill the request.”

At the end of last year, Neumann said, there was an uptick in need. Some students had made multiple requests and for others, there were new students with needs. Though, he added, there hasn’t been much activity yet this year, but it’s still early.

“Students haven’t been back to school long enough to run out of things yet,” he said. “When they do, we are here.”

The program began when it became apparent that the younger students in the lower grade levels were taken care of by so many organizations but then left alone at the high school level.

“These students are at a pivotal place in growing up. They aren’t little kids but they aren’t adults,” he explained. “Thankfully, we have the full support of the district and were provided with a beautiful room to keep everything in one place.”

Neumann calls it “a little mecca of salvation” and said “one of the goals is to take the shame factor away. Some students don’t have the means or access to these basic supplies, food, clothing, and it is not their fault.”

The community has been helping Eleos Room, behind the scenes. Most recently, Neumann noted, they received a huge donation of clothing that is age and school appropriate.

“It is great. Students who need new-to-them clothes come in and shop for what they want,” he said, “but we have more than we ever imagined and need to find clothing racks now.” He wasn’t joking about the towers of clothing in need of more organization and said he might need to find racks online or secondhand soon.

For those who have items they would like to donate to Eleos Room, know that almost nothing donated is wasted. Food items that are getting close to best-by dates are put into area blessing boxes in hopes they will get used quickly. Clothing that is not suitable for school is donated elsewhere.

And, for the students receiving items, confidentiality is key. Plain, nondescript bags are used for items that the student can pick up, after email notification, in the Guidance Office. For larger orders, and there are some closer to the holidays, school administration will deliver to the student at their address.

Eleos Room is a room of their own at Bradford Area High School, but as the price of everything increases, the staff could use some help stocking the shelves. A few items the room could use, in addition to clothing racks and the heat and eat food above, are feminine hygiene products (not generic brand), peanut butter, pasta sauce, pasta products, and warm coats.

Donations can be dropped off in the care of Eleos Room at the main office of BAHS on Interstate Parkway.

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