Kathryn sent me this urgent message yesterday, and I am belatedly passing it on — note the time element; action is called for by Thursday:
Because of the frequent and early severe winter weather we have been having, there is a critical need for warm clothing and blankets for homeless men, women and children. Because of weather cancellations, efforts to collect items by Columbia Rotary and other service groups have been curtailed, and we would greatly appreciate your help in gathering donations of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, blankets and similar items. We will be taking them to the United Way Day of Caring at Lexington Medical Center Friday, January 21, for sorting and distribution to groups serving the homeless.
If you can bring donated items to the United Way offices @ 1800 Main Street by the end of the day Thursday, we will make sure they are included in this drive.
Thank you so much for your support!
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Thanks, Brad!
Isn’t this something that should have been done back in September or October?
The service providers usually try to collect warm things around the holidays when folks are feeling extra generous, but this year they had to scramble to house everyone, rather than collect warm things for them, when it got so cold so early–hence the real need now!!
Isn’t it typically cold by the time the holidays roll around? Just saying it’d probably help to have these things on hand once the temperature starts to dip.
I am told that the kind of cold that necessitates services for the homeless was very early this year. I agree with you–earlier is better, but then I am far-sighted and well-funded. The homeless are perhaps not so much so the first, and the homeless providers not so much the second.
–and there’s the holiday giving season. It would be nice if we all got all generous in September–actually I’m thinking November–homeless people have nowhere to store stuff, so it has to be a pretty much just-in-time delivery system. Writing checks to these agencies would be best, and earlier is better for them, but this is an attempt to get folks to liberate those extra scarves and gloves and blankets and out-grown coats–a lot of the homeless are children!….I mean, really–how many of these items do people who live in SC really need–people who live indoors and have reliable vehicles, anyway?