Community rallies around abandoned children

When Ashlee Howell heard about a Pocatello family who took in four of their nieces and nephews after their mother had abandoned them, she reached out to the community for their help using Facebook.

“The response has been huge. I mean, it’s been overwhelmingly huge,” said Howell, executive director of the Blackfoot Community Center. “The donations of stuff that have come in: of clothes, even diapers, wipes, car seats.”

On Thursday evening a friend who knew the family called Howell, asking for donations.

She said the four kids were left with their aunt and uncle while their mother went on vacation, but she never returned.

“And then they received a call that the mom was not coming back,” said Howell.

The 10-year-old girl was left to take care of her two brothers and one sister, all under the age of 2.

Howell said the kids were extremely malnourished and only had two pairs of clothes.

She said the family suspects this wasn’t the first time these kids were left to fend for themselves.

And she also said the couple is expecting their first child in a couple of months. But little did they know they would be getting quadruple the surprise.

Because of the sensitive nature of this story, Howell did not want to reveal the names of any of the family members.

You can still donate to these children by bringing items to the Blackfoot Community Center at 257 S. Broadway in Blackfoot.