To support local youth in the foster care system, the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) has partnered with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office and the Hopkinsville Police Department to host their inaugural Year of Prevention Donation Drive.
The donation drive kicked off in May and for each month until April 2025 DCBS is spotlighting items children in the foster system may need. In May DCBS seeking drawstring bags and in June they are seeking dental hygiene items.
Shelby Brown from DCBS in Christian County says the idea for the donation drive came after their office received an increase in calls from community members asking how they can help and donate to children in need. Brown says the year-long donation list serves to give people an idea of what will be helpful to children in the foster system.
Brown says the donation items were determined when DCBS workers shared items that foster children request. According to their reports, hygiene items are often requested, and Brown says the items from the donation drive also serve to be comfort items.
Currently, Brown says around 85 children are in the foster care system in Christian County, not including children who have been placed with family members. Brown says a lot of the children in the foster system are teenagers, so the donation items are geared toward them.
Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Chris Miller says they work closely with DCBS and are happy to partner with them for the donation drive, because they both work toward the same goal of ensuring the safety of those in the county.
Donation items can be dropped off at suitcases located at the Christian County Sheriff’s Office and the Hopkinsville Police Department. The donation items are listed in the flyer below.
