In the early 20th century, many homeless children roamed the streets of Yekaterinodar, hungry, sick, and poorly dressed. Noblewoman Raisa Gavrilovna Khlebnikova, concerned about their fate, approached the city mayor with a proposal to create a Committee for the Care of Homeless School-Aged Children and to build a shelter for them. Although the idea initially seemed difficult to implement, it was brought to life. A plot of land was chosen on a vacant lot near the Vladikavkaz railway station for construction. Zakharij Platonovich Korshevts took on the development of the project, planning, and oversight of the construction.

One of the problems was a lack of funds. To raise money, charitable events and lotteries were held. As a result, on September 8, 1906, the foundation of the Day Shelter was laid. A year later, on November 4, 1907, the construction was completed, and a spacious and bright building appeared on Gogolevskaya (Railway) Street, which visitors noted for its 'abundance of air.'

The building had two floors, a basement, and a cellar for storing food for the winter. The upper floor housed four spacious classrooms, a dormitory with 40 beds, and a large corridor. The first floor included a dining room for 150 children, a kitchen, a pantry, a reading room, a cloakroom, a workshop, and a dormitory with 45 beds.

Life in the Day Shelter was strictly organized. Wake-up was at 6 AM, breakfast, and classes from 8 AM to 3 PM. During the long break, the children had lunch. After an hour of afternoon rest, the girls engaged in handicrafts while the boys worked in the basket workshop. The children were occupied until 6 PM, and they went to bed at 8 PM.

Raisa Gavrilovna was not only an educator for the children but also a caring mother. A native of Yekaterinodar, she received an education and fully dedicated herself to pedagogy, becoming an excellent teacher. After founding the shelter, she continued her work and advocated for the opening of a children's sanatorium on the Black Sea coast, where children with tuberculosis and weakened health could receive treatment.

Before the revolution, she was a member of the board of the Yekaterinodar Charitable Society and an honorary trustee of the school at the Shelter. In 1905, with the onset of political unrest, her classes were closed, and her activities were labeled as a 'nest of sedition.'

The revolution destroyed all her achievements, and Khlebnikova herself was left without means of existence. She was forced to leave Yekaterinodar and move to Novorossiysk, where she died from a prolonged illness on July 31, 1923, as reported by the newspaper a month after her death.

Raisa Gavrilovna Khlebnikova dedicated her life to the education and care of orphaned children, and her contribution deserves to be remembered. The building she helped create still stands and serves the people, reminding them of her merits.