Skid Row, in downtown Los Angeles, is an area marked by widespread homelessness. At any time, about 4,000 people live in tents, makeshift shelters or on the street in Skid Row’s roughly 50 blocks.
In December of 2024, Harvard-Westlake School’s director of bookstore operations, Tina Cleveland, organized a drive to support unhoused youth in Skid Row. Cleveland hoped to assemble at least 200 kits, each containing 10 essential items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash and socks. Cleveland planned to personally deliver the kits to youth in the area.
“These kids live in shelters, tents and transient environments,” Cleveland said. “When we give them these kits, it means so much to them.”
The items, often taken for granted, can have a profound impact on the lives of those who live in precarious conditions.