It all started with a prayer and a promise.
Just before Thanksgiving in 2015, Crabapple Middle School’s social counselor Tamla Hodges shared with CMS admin Linda Porter that the federal Shop-With-a-Cop program had cut middle schoolers due to lack of funding. Nearly 30 CMS families were depending on it for holiday gifts. After hugging and praying, they vowed to ask the next person who walked in for help. That person was parent Becky Nelson.
Becky rallied support and that December, 32 families received $100 in wrapped gifts, plus food, gift cards, and a warm holiday memory. By January, Huskies Helping Huskies (HHH) was a 501(c)(3).
“Our mission is to help any family or staff associated with CMS with the goal to directly aid the attendance and attention of the students,” Becky said.
HHH quickly grew into a wide-reaching support network. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the group shifted focus—delivering gift cards and tech tools, and providing job placement support, transportation, legal needs, and citizenship. “Putting compassion into action means activity to cure the need.”
Participants aren’t identified, and giving becomes a school-wide effort. Sometimes the gift is in being able to give.
Former CMS parent Deanna Williams: “HHH impacted my life in such phenomenal ways being a SURVIVOR! It helped me get through a very difficult time. Most of all supporting me through a whole year of unexpected traumas.”
Former student Dayanara Gonzalez Castro shared, “They helped my family when we were at our lowest—providing me braces and medical insurance for my mother. There wasn’t a holiday we didn’t feel loved. HHH is built on love and humanity.”
To donate, volunteer, or buy tickets to the Jerseys & Jewels Fundraiser on October 4, follow on Facebook and visit huskieshelpinghuskies.org
“They helped my family when we were at our lowest. There wasn’t a holiday we didn’t feel loved. HHH is built on love and humanity.”
Dayanara Gonzalez Castro