The Homeless Coalition of San Benito County is collecting sweatshirts, gloves and shoes to warm the hearts – and bodies – of those without homes this winter.
Through Dec. 1, check donations addressed to the coalition will be matched through San Benito County’s 12 Days of Giving, which allowed six nonprofits a chance to get extra funds.
“If someone donates let’s say $20, the organizations will double it,” said Sandra Rodriguez, a shelter assistant and case manager.
This year, the monetary amount of check donations will be matched by United Way, Community Foundation for San Benito County, True Leaf, Tiffany Ford, Rotary Club and TekNova. Donations to the coalition will help get warm clothes for the homeless, Rodriguez said.
The coalition runs an overnight winter shelter from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. in a few leased rooms at the migrant farm worker camp on 3239 Southside Road, providing visitors with access to a shower, warm meals and a change of clothes during five months of the year. But when the shelter closes March 31, the staff likes to send clients out with backpacks of toiletries, flashlights and clothes.
“That’s why we need to collect as much as we can now so when the time comes and the shelter closes, we have a little bit of extra clothing and shoes,” Rodriguez said.
Some clothing donations will be saved to pack into backpacks that the shelter sends out with clients when it closes its doors in the spring. Many of the more seasonal gloves and jackets, though, will be passed out to homeless residents living in the Dunne Park or Park Hill areas.
“We don’t necessarily wait until Christmas because it’s been very cold these last few nights,” Rodriguez said. “We will pass them out as they need them.”
Every Sunday between now and Christmas, donations of socks, undergarments, gloves and beanies will be accepted at the Apostolic Bible Learning Center at 153 Fifth St.
Staff members are also collecting gift cards to fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Jack in the Box so that clients can leave the shelter with the promise of a warm afternoon meal. Donations can also be dropped off at the shelter each day starting at 4 p.m.
Checks must be dated before Dec. 1 and received by Dec. 2 to qualify for matching funds through San Benito County’s 12 Days of Giving. Checks should be addressed to the Homeless Coalition SBC and mailed to P.O. Box 2710, Hollister, CA. Donations can also be made online at sbchomelesscoalition.org via PayPal or credit card. For more information, call Shauna Hoggard at (831) 801-4234 or Sandra Rodriguez at (831) 902-9690.
Other collection sites:
Organizations can collect supplies on their own and bring them to official drop-off sites. Social Vocational Services, 340 Sixth St., is accepting the donations from Dec. 1 through Dec. 30. Drop-off times there are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
