With the COVID-19 pandemic having increased the number of children and families in need in Berks County, the Olivet Boys & Girls Club is launching a program to provide essential items on a confidential basis.

The new Hubs of Hope initiative includes the creation of “treatment cabins” at each of the seven Olivet club sites. Closets will include basic items such as food, toiletries, clothing and feminine hygiene products.

Club members can walk into the closet without asking questions and take away any items they need or other family members need.

The program recently started at the Pendora Club, 330 S. 19th St., and will expand to six other clubs in Olivet over the next few months, said Katharine Royer, vice president of programming.

School district liaison officers, community organizations and social service agencies in Berks can also refer young people to Olivet to access wardrobes and become club members at no cost, she said. Membership gives them access to other Olivet programs and services, including mental health services and educational support.

“As an organization serving the youth of Berks County and having partnered with school districts and various local businesses and organizations, we saw a unique opportunity to transform our clubs into community resource centers,” he said. she declared.

Even before COVID, a state study showed Berks had thousands of homeless teens, and the pandemic only exacerbated the situation, she said.

Although many of them do not live on the streets, they have unstable housing situations, often surfing on a couch, living in hotel rooms, or jumping from place to place, she declared.

These young adults often do not have access to necessary care items, clothing and food, she said.

“Some kids will be honest with me and tell me they’re having a hard time at home,” said Ryan Hightower, director of Olivet’s PAL unit.

In other cases, he said he could see disheveled children in need of help.

In either case, care cupboards will be an option to accommodate these necessities, he said.

In addition to economic challenges for families, the pandemic has created academic challenges and mental health issues for students across the country, Royer said.

“It is more important than ever to continue to strengthen and establish new community partnerships to provide holistic support to young people, especially those who need us most,” she said.

Hightower said he has seen children struggling emotionally since the start of the pandemic, which he says is the result of being locked into home environments that may not be healthy.

Olivet President and CEO Chris Winters said there are over 80,000 young people in Berks and it is imperative that schools and organizations build strong connections to create a safety net at the community level for those who need help the most.

Funds to create the Care Closets and the Hubs of Hope initiative were provided by Customer’s Bank, United Way of Berks County, Chick-fil-A Foundation, Berks County Community Foundation, Visions Federal Credit Union and Giant.

Donations of items for the care practice were provided by local businesses and organizations, including Reading Pediatrics and Boscovs. Groups of volunteers who helped sort and organize the care cupboard included VoiceUP and MidPenn Bank.