We're finally getting off the ground with our starter pack initiative. Last week I met with a board member for the Camden & City Churches Cold Weather Shelter, who gave us the go-ahead to work on the starter packs. We arranged over the weekend to use a basement room that's standing empty in the local Methodist church as our base of operations. We'll be picking up the keys and then collecting the first of our donated items early next week.
What are 'starter packs' you ask? Here's an excerpt from the literature:
Starter packs help people establish a route out of homelessness. Many new tenancies fail in the initial stages because of a lack of financial resources to provide the basic household items that turn a house into a home. By providing these essentials, starter packs can help eliminate the ‘revolving door’ experience of many homeless people.
We are starting with the bare minimums - kitchen items, cleaning supplies, and a few other things. In the future, we hope to follow the model of other groups who provide bedding, small kitchen appliances, drapes, etc.
I'm really excited about all this, but also feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. If any of you have any experience or ideas for who I should talk to about getting used or donated new items, let me know.
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