Care Package Assembly Day 2008

Each year, KHNK hosts an event where sponsors can actively participate by assembling care packages for all of the children we support regularly as well as those at the Debre Libanos Orphanage.

Thanks to the Christmas in a Shoebox Fundraiser at the Calverton School in Huntingtown, MD, KHNK received dozens of shoeboxes filled with goodies for the children. On care package assembly day, sponsors and friends gather to unpack, sort, and repackage hundreds of school supplies, toothbrushes, first-aid kits, stuffed animals, and light-weight clothing for each boy and girl.

This year, KHNK was fortunate enough to receive 82 shoeboxes from the Calverton School!

The shoeboxes were unpacked and their contents sorted. The bulk of KHNK's clothing and school supplies came not only from The Calverton School but also from the Girls of Character Ministry at Woodstream Church in Mitchellville, MD. This donation was organized by Ms. Wanda Coleman and Ms. Shari Davis. Thanks everyone!!

Sponsors Mehron and Quinyse and volunteer, Manning, work at the school supplies station.

Stacks of various boys clothing.


Sponsors Luladay, Setota, Matthew, and volunteer, Michelle, make Christmas Cards to give the care packages a personal touch.


Volunteer Semret Tefaye help Ms. Kristina Palmer (sponsor) and her children Jamal and Kelley wrap a toy for each child. Boys received Nerf balls, jacks, and toy cars while girls got glitter pens, journals, and hair accessories.


Sponsors, Tsige, Lulit, and Mehron Price review the official list of children.

All in all, the care package assembly day went very smoothly. With the help of everyone who attended , we were able to make 65 care packages for the orphans in Debre Libanos and 35 care packages for the sponsored children. (Pictures used in this entry are courtesy of Mr. David Edwards, a senior at The Calverton School.)

Sugar, We're Going Down

Before there was KHNK, my sisters and I considered some of the many challenges our tiny organization would have to face. However, there were some scenarios in particular that we never could have thought to predict.

Let us explain.

The economic hard times that hit the United States have had a profound yet entirely different effect worldwide. In Ethiopia, things took a toll on us through a loss of sponsorships.

We "lost" some kids from our sponsorships when their families unexpectedly relocated from Addis Ababa to the countryside in search of better prospects. We "lost" some members at home when they found themselves unable to continue the financial commitment of a sponsorship. They chose to let us know of their inability to continue by simply terminating all communication with Kids Helping Needy Kids, and neglecting to respond to frequent reminders. This left us in a very untenable situation, and much at a loss as to how to proceed.

Whatever our losses have been, they serve only to make us more grateful for the faithful sponsors who have stuck with us through it all. These dedicated members are just as committed as we are to making the world a better place, one small way at a time. Working one life at a time, we hope to be able to impact these children for the better. Our sponsorship help is only a means of empowering these children in what small way we can, and we are so grateful to those who have stuck by our cause. Our heartfelt thanks, and we will continue to move forward in making this world a better place.