Chances to Raise Awareness and Donate Resources to Kids in Need Available Throughout Child Abuse Prevention Month

The Break the Silence with Bags of Hope fun fair will take place this weekend, in order to collect resources for local kids and raise awareness about Child Abuse Awareness Month.

The event is being held at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox and will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th. The fun fair will feature face painting, finger printing, a bounce house, snacks, games and a guest speaker.

The cost of admission is one item that can be donated to the ‘Bags of Hope’ program, which is aimed at providing care items to fostered youth.

Items that can be donated include baby wipes, diapers, pull-ups, baby powder, stuffed animals, baby books, crayons, colored pencils, coloring books and small games and activities. They’ll also be accepting toiletries such as shampoo, body wash, deodorant, lotion, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Event organizers note that used items and money cannot be accepted.

Photo Source: Brenna Brown shared to Break the Silence Fun Fair FB Page

The fun fair isn’t the only effort that’s being made to raise awareness and assist community members in need. Throughout the month of April, a few different locations around Starke County will be collecting items for Bags of Hope.

You can drop off donations at the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office, Knox City Hall, Hamlet Town Hall, the Starke County Justice Center, the North Judson Library and the Starke County Department of Child Services.

The final event of the month will be the Hope Dash 5K which will be held on Saturday, April 27th. The cost to participate is $15 for adults and $10 for children. The proceeds will go toward purchasing more items to assist Starke County children.  Click the following link to register for the event.

The race will start at noon and participants will take off from the Starke County Court House. Organizers say the fun will continue immediately following the 5K as participants pitch in to pack the Bags of Hope.

A table with more information about the 5K will be set up at this Saturday’s fun fair.