Vienna resident Skylar Bogan mentioned the objects packed into the shoeboxes she delivers each Christmas season to the Home to House day shelter in Parkersburg. (Photograph by Evan Bevins)
PARKERSBURG — Through the years, Skylar Bogan has typically remarked that it isn’t actually Christmas for her till she completes the annual supply of shoeboxes stuffed with snacks and provides to the Home to House day shelter.
This 12 months, it definitely felt that means as icy circumstances prevented her from fulfilling the vacation custom she began when she was simply 10 years previous till Monday, the day after Christmas.
“It feels actually bizarre,” stated Bogan after she, her boyfriend Shayne Miller and her mom Amber Holbert arrived on the Eighth Avenue, Parkersburg, shelter Monday with 100 shoeboxes. “We at all times simply ship the packing containers after which we may go do all the things else.”
They’d the shoeboxes organized and the contents unfold out on her mother’s eating room desk Thursday evening, able to pack them assembly-line type. However excessive chilly, snow and ice coating the roads made Friday’s deliberate supply unsafe and impractical.
“We have been completely ready after which, bam,” Bogan stated. “I simply felt unhealthy them at my mother’s home” and figuring out folks may use the objects.
Vienna resident Skylar Bogan unloaded shoeboxes stuffed with snacks and provides for the homeless outdoors the Home to House day shelter on Eighth Avenue in Parkersburg on Monday. (Photograph by Evan Bevins)
Bogan, who now lives in Vienna, started gathering and bringing provides to the shelter serving the homeless and economically deprived when she was a child in Wirt County after seeing tents arrange beneath the Fifth Avenue Bridge. She continued by way of highschool and faculty. Now working as a substance use prevention case supervisor for Westbrook Well being Providers, Bogan hopes to show her effort right into a nonprofit group to leverage help from different teams.
She additionally offers softball classes to children across the age she was when she began her effort and talks to them about what she does. A few them have been going to assist her ship Friday however have been out of city Monday and are trying ahead to subsequent 12 months.
The supply date wasn’t all that modified this 12 months, as Bogan and her mom needed to take care of rising costs and provide chain points to fill the packing containers.
“Inflation hit us a little bit arduous,” she stated, noting even some low cost shops have needed to elevate their costs.
A specific problem was discovering gloves and toboggans. With time operating out, they’d solely gotten 14 of the nice and cozy hats at their standard value and didn’t verify these off their record till Rural King gave Holbert a “huge low cost.”
Home to House Director Sarah Towner carried a stack of shoeboxes filled with snacks and provides into the day shelter on Eighth Avenue in Parkersburg Monday as Vienna resident Skylar Bogan and her boyfriend Shayne Miller unloaded extra from a truck. (Photograph by Evan Bevins)
“And my mother simply began crying,” Bogan stated.
Whereas she stated not one of the packing containers contained something “tremendous extravagant,” they every have been filled with gloves, a hat, an Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich, hand heaters, chips, crackers, cookies, a sports activities drink, toothpaste, sweet, chapstick, deodorant and a toothbrush.
Bogan and her household packed the packing containers on Sunday and delivered them Monday to the shelter, its grateful workers and board and a number of other enthusiastic shoppers.
“It’s superior,” stated Cory Patterson, one of many shoppers.
Home to House Director Sarah Towner stated the provides are wanted and Bogan’s annual go to is anticipated by shoppers.
Vienna resident Skylar Bogan, proper, handed out shoeboxes filled with snacks and provides to shoppers on the Home to House day shelter on Eighth Avenue in Parkersburg on Monday. (Photograph by Evan Bevins)
“They begin asking at Thanksgiving, ‘She’s going to do it once more, proper?’” Towner stated. “A few of them, it’s the one present they get in any respect.”
During the last 13 years, Bogan has crammed and delivered about 1,800 shoeboxes to the shelter.
Evan Bevins may be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
Home to House board President Sue Lilly sorted shoeboxes filled with snacks and provides dropped at the day shelter Monday by Vienna resident Skylar Bogan, an annual custom. (Photograph by Evan Bevins)
Vienna resident Skylar Bogan, left, and her boyfriend Shayne Miller packed shoeboxes Sunday to ship to the Home to House day shelter. (Photograph Offered)
Shoeboxes filled with snacks and provides have been stacked on the house of Amber Holbert, Skylar Bogan’s mom, on Christmas Day. (Photograph Offered)
