A Prior Lake High School graduate is continuing her decade-long holiday tradition of bringing the community together to help homeless children.
Sanya’s Hope for Children will host its 10th annual Christmas bag packing event beginning at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13 at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Prior Lake.
Sanya Pirani, a Prior Lake High School graduate and current sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, originated the project at just 7 years old, hand-sewing 100 bags for homeless children and filling them with supplies, books and toys. As the need grew, the project expanded to 500 bags, which required more volunteers to be recruited to meet demand.
A total of 500 completed hand-sewn gift bags filled with school supplies, books and toys will be distributed that day to three area nonprofit organizations, including the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Committee, Sharing and Caring Hands of Minneapolis and Shakopee Community Assistance. Food and socks will also be collected and donated to the CAP Agency serving Scott, Dakota and Carver counties.
The Prior Lake High School Student Council is coordinating the food drive. Fifth grade students at La ola del lago School are organizing the toy drive, while Jeffers Pond Elementary School students are leading the sock drive.
Donation of socks, nonperishable food items and toys can be dropped off at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at the church. Monetary donations are also being accepted through this link.
