Huskies help Lincoln residents with kindness care kits

November 24, 2025

Humann Elementary School students proved this fall that kindness can come in the form of toothpaste, deodorant and fruit snacks.
 
Humann Student Council members brightened the lives of many People’s City Mission residents through an inspiring community service project. They filled 123 kindness care kits with essential hygiene and nutrition items for people to use during the upcoming holiday season. They gathered hundreds of products, put together the packages and learned that kindness can have a long-lasting ripple effect.
 
Fourth grader Harper and fifth grader Olivia joined their Student Council teammates in Humann’s front lobby after school to work on the project. They said the group’s goal was to spread hope to everyone living at the People’s City Mission.
 
“I like being a part of this,” Olivia said. “It feels good being able to give people the resources that they need.”
 
“I hope they think that we are kind,” Harper said. “I hope they know it’s a good community.”

 
Student Council co-advisors Jill Gable and Kathy Dean and student teacher Morgan Gatzemeyer watched with pride as 22 fourth and fifth graders packaged several tables of items into plastic Ziploc bags. Gable said students were collecting many important lessons from the community engagement activity.
 
“I hope they learn that they are making a difference,” Gable said. “They’re doing something today that is going to help a lot of people. I also hope that they realize to always be thankful for everything they have.”
 
Humann Principal Laura Heller said she was thrilled when she learned about the Student Council’s kindhearted vision. The group chooses a service project each semester as a way to learn lifelong traits such as empathy, cooperation, teamwork and volunteerism. Students and advisors felt the People’s City Mission would be a good charitable organization to help again this year.
 
“The Mission will hand the kindness care kits to any individual who may need these items when times are tough,” Heller said. “Many times when a person enters the Mission, they are without the essential items.”
 
“We did this drive for the first time last year, and it went really well, so I thought, ‘Let’s make it an annual event,’” Gable said. “The kids did such a nice job with it last year, and I knew this year’s group would be the same way.”

 
Student Council members encouraged their fellow Huskies in prekindergarten through fifth grade to bring travel-sized supplies to school this fall. The People’s City Mission asked the school to provide shampoo, conditioner, lotion, sanitizer, band-aids, fruit snacks, beef jerky, granola bars, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, notebooks and pens for residents.
 
Olivia watched with anticipation as Student Council members prepared to assemble their packages. She said she was happy to have a chance to take part in the project.
 
“I want to be a voice for our community,” Olivia said. “This is something that I think helps all of us do that.”
 
The Huskies organized all of the items into separate places on a row of tables for the big day. They then carefully placed each product into a gallon-sized bag as they moved down the line. Dean gave each of them a printed kindness quote to insert at the top of their package. They then handed their bags to Gatzemeyer, who arranged them in rows on the floor for them to view.
 
Gable smiled as students rushed back to the beginning of the line to begin creating new kits.
 
“You’re doing an excellent job,” Gable told them. “I like how enthusiastic you are.”

 
After learning they had assembled 123 packages, the Huskies arranged them in the shape of a heart to symbolize their caring spirit. They then boxed up the kindness kits to transport to the People’s City Mission in early December. Students will personally see the impact they have made when they bring the packages to the center.
 
“I think it’s going to be a really meaningful experience for them when they visit,” Gable said.
 
Student Council members are planning to launch another kindhearted drive this spring for the Food Bank of Lincoln. Harper and Olivia said the community engagement projects are one reason why they are enjoying spending time in Student Council this year.
 
“I wanted to join Student Council because I like helping people,” Harper said. “I feel good when I’m helping people, and this is a place to do that.”
 
Student civic engagement is part of the mission at Lincoln Public Schools. Visit our Acts of Kindness page at home.lps.org/kindness/ to learn more about the various ways LPS scholars make a positive impact throughout the community. 
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

---