DECATUR - Most of the time, the decision for Jordan Rodgers didn't seem to be hard.

Kneeling by cardboard boxes filled with stuffed bears, snowmen, dolls and Beanie Babies, she sorted them into two piles: one suitable for boys, the other for girls.

But seeking help occasionally, she'd hold up an animal and call to her friend, "Erin (Hettinger), boy or girl?"

Near the other end of this long assembly table, Hailey Shafer passed out dark colored blankets for boys and younger children, bright pink or red ones for girls in seventh grade and above.

The Holy Family School eighth-graders were just three members of assembly lines filling bags for the Project Success Displaced and Homeless Youth Nap Sack Project.

The assembly lines even had quality-control checking, said Cinda Farris, student council adviser, as she and some students made certain the resulting knapsack looked like a gift and not a bag randomly stuffed with items.

"I just heard one of the boys ask, 'Do we do this every year? Why don't we?' " said Farris.

"Isn't that wonderful? What an opportunity to see what real life is like."

It all started last year, said Colleen Richardson, when during a sermon, she heard the number of children living in the community identified as homeless.

"I was shocked," said the former preschool teacher at Holy Family. "I thought, 'Somebody has to do something.' "

She shared an idea with Christine Smith, the current preschool teacher, and the result became the project readied Monday at Holy Family for Project Success to distribute to homeless children in preschool through high school. The donations were so generous, Richardson said, they even made some extra knapsacks for Project Success to have on hand, should they be needed, and were able to donate some items to other agencies.

Richardson said each knapsack contained items that could be used by a child in preparation for bed, such as toothpaste, hand sanitizer and combs, along with pajamas, blankets and a stuffed toy.

"This (project) helps the kids know that kids can make a difference," said Richardson. "It helps them to learn about service at a young age."

According to Richardson, it took "an enormous number of people" for the project, including Project Success, Smith, the students and staff at Holy Family School, members of the Holy Family parish and the community. Physicians of Cancer Care Specialists of Central Illinois donated the knapsacks, and several pharmaceutical company representatives provided blankets.

Arlene Mannlein can be reached at amannlein@herald-review.com or at 421-6976.