whether or not it fits into our planning and thinking for and about the homeless, camping and the homeless being outside in the winter is a reality. whether or not we agree and no matter how we try to explain the reasons for this, it is still a very real part of the homeless population in wilmington. whether it be mental illness, addictions, aversion to the mission or some other reason, this winter there will be homeless surviving outside in very cold and very brutal conditions. women often have no options other than on the coldest nites when "code purple" kicks in. often the campers are men and women who do not want to be separated. sometimes it's a mother who cannot enter the family shelter due to over capacity conditions and does not want to be separated from her child. there are various reasons.
too many times last winter i was approached by or received a call from the homeless asking me if i could find them a sleeping bag or blankets. often this was a last minute desperation call. sometimes i was able to help but too many times i couldn't. for some reason this is something that homeless agencies, the mission and other organizations do not or do not want to get involved in. i've heard some of their reasoning for this and while they might be valid arguments, it does not help the men and women who have called me with desperation in their voice asking me if i knew where they could get help for these two items. it pained me greatly every time i had to say i couldn't help. this winter i want it to be different. i'm not concerned with justifying the homeless sleeping outside. i'm only concerned with helping them survive a freezing winter nite.
now, while it's warm and before it becomes a critical issue i want to stock up on sleeping bags and warm blankets so when that homeless man or woman approaches me or calls me at night i can...yes i can help. i want to accumulate blankets and sleeping bags so i don't have to wake the next morning and wonder if that man or woman made it thru the nite. i am hoping you will help me in this endeavor. this morning the storage unit is empty. i want to fill it before winter sets in and it becomes a critical issue. help me out with this by donating today. any amount will help and 100% of your donation will go to buying blankets and sleeping bags. that's one thing about not being a large organization ...i have no overhead.
for the next 30 days i'm going to try and fill a storage unit with sleeping bags and blankets. it can prevent a homeless person's hands from being black with frostbite the next morning. it can make the difference between life and death. this is not exaggeration or drama. it is a very real fact.
go to the donate section and do what you can, if you can. any amount will help me say yes, i can help, to the homeless this winter.
see you around town
**update I hit the initial goal, which was relatively small. we are $125 away from a volume discount
which means a 35% difference in the amount we can obtain. the trip to the discount store
is this weekend. help to us to maximize our supplies for the winter!
they will be out there