**NORTHEASTERN CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD NEWS RELEASE**

On Monday, October 15th at the Mountjoy United Church, 50 Caring Covers will be presented at the Project Love Dinner starting at 4:30pm. The Northeastern Catholic District School Board is proud to be providing volunteers to serve the meal and to be covering the entire cost of the meal as well. (Mountjoy United Church located at 202 Mountjoy Street South.)

The “Caring Cover” is the creative product dreamed up by three SHSM Health and Wellness students (Brianna Hway, Lauren Doyle and Hailey Vaillancourt) intended to provide wrap around support service information (including mental health help, homeless shelter address, Salvation Army address for food/snacks/clothing, Yo!Mobile information, and soup kitchens) to local citizens in need. The “Caring Cover” has a zippered pocket where the information is stored and also serves as a waterproof blanket that enables people to stay dry from damp ground if they sleep outside. If the wrap around support services information changes, new cards can be distributed and stored in the pocket of the blanket.

With funds from the SHSM program, the Northeastern Catholic District School Board and a community grant from Kidd Operations. 200 “Caring Covers” were purchased and will be distributed throughout our community, to organizations that support and work with local citizens in need. The Salvation Army, Yo Mobile, Project Love and Living Spaces will receive 50 “Caring Covers” to distribute as they see fit.

Sharon Maisonneuve, Vice-Principal and Board Lead of the SHSM Programs, stated: “When you said “yes” to serve as a volunteer – you are saying “yes” to the people who are closest to the heart of Jesus … the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable, the elderly, the lonely, the children of the poor, and the broken. Please know that your work in this regard is very important because we all belong to one another in the general community of “humanity”. In other words, we are all our brothers’ keepers.”