ABOVE: Martin Luther High School students involved in the Knights 4 Life organization watch as senior Mary Bennett gives the first hygiene kit to Shepherd’s In Founder Curt Moeckel on Thursday morning at the school. The kits include toiletries and necessities that will support local individuals in distress.

NORTHROP — Any acts of kindness can let people know you care. Martin Luther High School (MLHS) students are supporting people in distressed situations by delivering hygiene kits to Curt Moeckel, founder of the Shepherd’s In in Fairmont, who will give said kits to those in need directly.

The kits include items crucial for cleanliness, such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, chapstick, toothpaste, first aid supplies and more to help people get back on their feet.

MLHS has made the bags for around five years and the act is part of the Knights 4 Life. The Shepherd’s In has received the hygiene kits from MLHS for three years.

“[The project is driven] by God’s command to love one another,” said Knights 4 Life Coordinator Rebecca Oerman. “It really motivates the kids, and they get to see how much the hygiene kits are appreciated.”

The Knights 4 Life is an organization that consists of students and teachers. It supports life from conception to a person’s death. Additionally, the organization aims to assist and learn about several topics, including family and homelessness.

“[The organization] wants to show that all life is important in all stages of life,” Oerman stated.

MLHS students contacted and offered Moeckel 20 hygiene kits. The students, in total, made approximately 90 hygiene kits and will be distributed later to other locations that will support individuals in need, including the Salvation Army in Mankato.

“When I hand out these bags, I make sure to tell them that they were made by a bunch of kids, and they care about you. They hope that someone cares about them.” Moeckel said.

The packed hygiene kits are made possible with contributions and donations from the community, and their mutual mission to help their fellow residents.

“The community is sharing in that bag,” Moeckel stated.

Following Moeckel’s acceptance of the hygiene kits from the students on Thursday, he commended them for their efforts to assist the community in Martin County.

“Can you imagine being dirty every day?” Moeckel told the students. “Not everyone thinks about [the individuals who will receive the hygiene kits].”

According to the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), individuals dogged with homelessness, illness and inadequate lifestyles are confronted with “significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities…hygiene-related behaviors among people experiencing homelessness have received limited attention.”

“I think it’s wonderful you thought about them. They will appreciate this,” Moeckel said to the students.

Moeckel explained that the Shepherd’s In does its best to fill the gap in the lives of people it serves and that he would like to expand the business’s outreach in the future.

“It’s a wonderful feeling [to help people],” Moeckel expressed. “It’s hard to describe.”

If you or someone you know is in distress, support is just a call away. Donations and volunteers are accepted. Contact Moeckel and the Shepherd’s In for assistance or additional information at (507) 236-5362.