Gathering the community to provide over 300 students with living essentials, Young Powersports and the Young Caring for Our Young Foundation hosted their annual Power Up Against Teen Homelessness event on Oct. 7.

“It was amazing to see the local support we received for such a significant cause,” said Jeramie Young, director of Young Powersports. “We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity we had tonight to work with wonderful individuals, and channel our efforts into an initiative that we’re passionate about.”

Hosted at Young Powersports XL Centerville on Frontage Road, local volunteers, Young Automotive Group employees and members of Weber State University’s athletic department were organized into assembly lines. Together, the group stuffed backpacks with items such as clothing, sweats, gloves, socks, beanies, blankets and hygiene products. 

Following the event, the packs were moved into the Young Caring for Our Young van. Each will be delivered to local teen drop-in centers throughout Utah — making them available in facilities that provide students in need with access to showers, laundry machines, computers, food and support staff.

“Part of what makes engaging with the teen drop-in program so meaningful is how innovative these facilities are,” said Belnap. “Organizations like the Davis Education Foundation have filled a significant need across our state for youth who are facing poverty. It’s a project that our foundation believes is one of the most significant in Utah, and we’re proud to dedicate our efforts toward its support.”

First held in 2021, the Power Up initiative began as a hygiene kit assembly event. Backpacks were introduced two years later with the opening of Young Powersports XL Centerville. Each of Young Powersports’ eleven locations contributes to the project.

“What we love about this event is that it not only touches the lives of those receiving these packs, but those assembling them,” said Belnap. “Our foundation is dedicated to building an army of good across the communities we serve, and it’s through evenings like this that we show people how they can make a difference.”