Sock it To Wet Feet!

Photo Creative Commons:Attribution/ShareAlike by Alyssa (partie traumatic)

Clean and dry socks help to keep people comfortable and healthy. During the winter months, this is especially important to people living outdoors. Welcome relies on donated items for distribution- which means when we don't get donated socks, we don't have any to distribute. This week, like many weeks, we ran out during our Tuesday programming so about 30 people had to go without.

In an average month, we get more than 200 requests for socks, and we're grateful for the 100 or so pairs that are donated to partially meet this need.

Details:
-Men's regular or large sized socks, tube sock (calf length) style are the most useful. Please no tiny socks- donate them instead to organizations that work with many children.

Other things we can use right now:
-Blankets- we have been getting blankets from government surplus, but this year we only received 5 boxes (we've got the last 15 blankets left after 3 weeks).

-Deoderant, strong, not flowery- we rarely get this, and it can make a big difference for job interviews and feeling clean

-Antibiotic cream, like neosporin- injuries happen more often when living outdoors or in bug-infested places, and it's hard to keep them clean and infection free.

-Anti-bacterial soap- we get lots of soap donations, but this is a particular need for people with skin conditions exacerbated by poverty.

-Wet wipes, preferably anti-bacterial

-Men's pants, all sizes

-Warm shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and coats (especially rain gear)

-Scarves, hats, gloves (all adult sized)

-Big shoes, preferably wet-weather appropriate

As many of our guests are indoors but without many resources, we are also seeking some bigger donations to help adjust to living indoors and improve information access:
-Working Televisions, either with a converter box or digital-ready (remember that the deadline for digital converter coupons is past, and the boxes cost $50-100 without)

-Working computers (we don't have access to repair help-unless you'd like to volunteer!)- access to E-mail and good information, ability to type documents, and connection to resources are huge benefits to people seeking employment or stabilization.


Your big and little donations make a big difference for people!
Thank you!