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<< Previous   of   Next >> Elizabeth Armstrong / Herald Staff  (click to enlarge) Conner Watt (left) and Chandler Irving, both 7, struggle to pick up a heavy garbage bag of donations. The Cub Scouts joined Junior Girl Scouts, Brownies and Daisies, along with friends and relatives, to make gift bags for flood victims.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009 Kids make comfort kits for the Red Cross to distribute By Katya Yefimova Herald Writer EVERETT -- When they saw so many children from the community forced out of their homes by the floods last week, Snohomish-area Girl Scouts wanted to bring them some comfort. More than two dozen Girl Scouts, along with a few friends and relatives, lined up Tuesday afternoon outside the Everett office of the American Red Cross with donations. The girls put together special kits for children whose families had been affected by the flooding, said Kris Krischano, a spokesman for the Red Cross. "They had a bundle of stuff that filled half the room," Krischano said. "They did it because they wanted to make other kids feel better who had to go through such terrible things." Along with the basics -- toothbrush, soap, socks and comb -- the kits contained crayons and coloring books. A handmade greeting card was tucked into each one. Red Cross volunteers usually give out comfort kits with personal hygiene items and toiletries to victims of disasters, Krischano said. "It just gives people something to have that they didn't think of or didn't have a chance to get. It takes away from the doom-and-gloom stuff," he said." The Girl Scouts, ages kindergarten through fourth grade, are students at Machias Elementary School, said Mykel Watt, one of the troop leaders. The floods last week devastated many families in the Machias area, and the girls wanted to help, Watt said. Helping the flood victims was a good opportunity to do community service, Watt said. And it proved to be a rewarding one. "(The girls) felt sad about people who had to leave home and their things behind," Watt said "They were really glad that they were able to help." The girls decorated the greeting cards they made with paper flowers and ribbons, Watt said. The cards read "We are thinking of you," "Have hope," and "Good Times to Come." Along with their comfort kits, the girls brought donations of linens and big, heavy quilts that they collected from the community. Girls Scouts may be too young to fully understand the distress that comes with a devastating flood, but they are old enough to know how to help comfort another child, Krischano said. Reporter Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.

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