Staff photo / Bob Coupland Yohance Kambui, 9, of Warren, and a fourth grader at Howland HC Mines, with Susan Kilpatrick, program manager for Veteran’s Haven in Youngstown, show off the more than 100 items that Kambui was able to collect in the past month to help veterans. He also collected items to help domestic violence victims served by Someplace Safe in Warren.

WARREN — For the past month, 9-year old Yohance Kambui has been collecting items to help veterans who are served by Veteran’s Haven.

Lee and Robert Stringham, legal guardians for Yohance, said he has learned at school what veterans have done to serve and protect the country, so he wanted to do something to help them.

“I wanted to help the veterans for all they do,” Yohance said.

He is a fourth grader at Howland HC Mines School.

He said Lee Stringham suggested the idea of helping veterans so collection sites with boxes were set up at different locations and businesses in the Warren and Niles area where people could make donations. In addition, Yohance and the Stringhams went to stores and purchased items with monetary donations.

“It was fun finding what the veterans would want at the stores. I looked for food, toothpaste and soap for them and house cleaning items,” Yohance said.

In addition to helping Veteran’s Haven in Youngstown, they also collected items for Someplace Safe, a domestic violence shelter in Warren.

“Every year, we do a couple of donations to local organizations such as Thanksgiving meals and Christmas donations. I suggested doing something to help veterans at Veteran’s Haven and those helped by Someplace Safe,” Lee Stringham said.

She said to assist Yohance, they publicized online what they were doing and where people could make donations.

More than 100 items, including hygiene items, snack foods and household items will go to Veteran’s Haven and 100 items will head to Someplace Safe.

Susan Kilpatrick of Warren, program manager for Veteran’s Haven, which serves homeless men veterans in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, said the donations are greatly appreciated.

“Every little bit from the community really helps us since we are grant funded. These items can be expensive,” Kilpatrick said.

She said the veterans stay six to nine months in transitional housing and work with the local veterans association to help the veterans find housing.

Kilpatrick said she spends more than $250 getting hygiene and household cleaning items.

She said they house up to eight veterans at their location off Homestead Avenue in Youngstown, with plans underway for an additional property off Hillman Street, also in Youngstown, which will house up to 18 more veterans.

“We will be able to house more veterans and each will be able to have their own room,” Kilpatrick said.

She said in Trumbull County, the veterans stayed at the towers apartments near the Hot Dog Shoppe but some of the apartments have been torn down and the veterans were relocated to other apartments.