A group of Saugus High School students passed out care packages to dozens of homeless people in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
Five students from Reddo Club, which is set to become an official school club in the fall, travelled to Skid Row and passed out 60 care packages comprised of socks, basic toiletries, granola bars, water and a card with scriptures on it.
“It went really well,” said 16-year-old Drake Hougo, a Saugus High junior and creator of Reddo Club. “We talked to them about how we could improve the care packages and what else we could do to help them out… They were happy that we came down and gave them the items. It was an overall great experience.”
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Reddo Club, which means “to give back” in Latin, is a service club “dedicated to providing care packages, moral support and giving back to the homeless in and out of our community,” according to their website.
Hougo said he was inspired to create the club after taking a trip to Skid Row in December 2013 and seeing first-hand the living conditions of the homeless people there.
“After going down there the first time, we realized these people really need help,” he said.
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School speaker Mike Smith, who has a campaign called “Dude Be Nice” also inspired the group after making an appearance at Saugus High.
“He came and talked about the importance of helping people out and it really inspired us to take matters in our own hands and create an impact,” Hougo said. “We’re hoping to do the same thing– to inspire others to go and help others that are in need.”
While the club is currently comprised of an all-boys group of friends who are on the Saugus High cross country team together, Hougo is planning to have adult supervision for future trips so more students can attend after the club officially launches in the fall.
“Compared to a lot of service clubs on campus, (Reddo Club) is different because… we’re going directly to the source of people that need help,” he said. “Areas where people most likely would avoid or stay away from, that’s our goal is to help the people who need it.”
Items for the care packages were donated by Santa Clarita Valley businesses, and because the club is an ongoing project, members are still seeking monetary donations, as well as donations of specific items from the community, Hougo said.
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