11/16/2021
I received this email and was told I could share it…if you can help with any of these items, Kay’s email is listed below:
Hello, my name is Kat, I'm 25 years old, a Denver native, and I am currently homeless. My boyfriend, my dog and myself are currently living in a tent on the streets of Denver because we ended up losing our apartment due to financial issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to obtain financial help in time. Next thing we knew we were sleeping outside at Clement Park without a tent or blankets. We both work delivering through UberEATS and Door Duash but any money made is hard to save up because there's items we need to survive.
I have never been in this kind of situation before in my life. It's nerve racking, it's draining, and frankly kind of scary, but at the end of the day I've had to not think about the fear of what could happen and instead try to focus on a solution to get out of this situation. It's a huge learning experience that I'm actually grateful for going through at the end of the day.
I'm writing this proposal and telling my story because I feel that there's an overall negative outlook on homelessness in general… however I know that there's a lot of people out there that still want to, and do so much to help us. I've learned so much about how to survive on the streets from other homeless people and there's things that could help us, people would never think of unless they are going through this situation or unless someone tells people our needs. Sadly though I've seen first hand why people stop asking for help or going to places like shelters for help, it takes a toll on a person being told over and over again "No". It gets frustrating, embarrassing, and makes "us" lose hope being brushed off or ignored. It gets frustrating being told "There's a wait-list" or "We don't have that and don't have a way to obtain said items you're asking for".
I would like to help and offer my time to organize a donation drive. With the holidays coming up I think it would be the perfect time, it may be a little last minute but at the end of the day I know it can be done. Nowadays all it really takes is word of mouth and social media to get the word out there and a place to drop off items to.
With that being said, here is a list of a few ideas, with explanations of the purpose for these items, that I know could help a lot during the winter season.
Items to consider donating:
Hand sanitizer- besides cleaning hands it also can be burned and provide heat for a long time
Candles- provides heat, the ones that come in a jar are better so they are safer and won't fall over or melt anything.
Charcoal- or other fuel burners (like the little burners they light and put under food)
Dog coats and boots- my dog literally refuses to go out in the snow without a coat or shoes because she just gets too cold and the salt that's put down burns her paws. (Toddler sized clothing often fits perfectly and is cheaper than dog clothing for coats)
Dog food
Coleman propane tanks- (little green ones) a lot of people have portable heaters or camping grills but can't get to Walmart or a store that sells them
Camping gear- camping stoves, camping tents for all seasons, cots, sleeping mats, rope, chairs etc.
Emergency blankets (foil kind) can also be taped on the walls of a tent and reflect heat back so tents stay warm.
Duct tape
Tarps- these are extremely needed! They help insulate tents and keep snow out.
Blankets
Yoga mats- any kind of foam or rubber floor mat or even garage mats work to put down on the ground and not only provide comfort but help keep the cold out.
Rugs- again provides insulation
Hand/toe warmers
Portable heaters or generators
Cleaning items- wet wipes, sanitizer wipes, rags, sanitizer sprays, brooms and dustpans (we do like to keep our tents clean but cleaning products can be expensive and there's really no where I've found that donates these items
Toilet paper and paper towels
Cans (open cans make a portable heater. You can make a heater from a paint can that's never had paint in it by putting a roll of toilet paper in it and pouring 70% or higher rubbing alcohol in it that will burn for hours safely.)
Can openers (we get a lot of canned food but often no one has a can opener. I've stabbed my hand a few times trying to get a can opened with my pocket knife
Pots and pans and cooking utensils (or disposable tin pans, these can be put directly on a grill or fire to cook in, or tinfoil to make foil packs you can cook anything in. Wooden skewers, tongs, cutting boards, metal utensils that won't melt)
Coats and boots- (smaller sizes are easy to come by but I've noticed there's hardly ever anything over a size large in coats and men with boot sizes over a 10 are rare.)
Portable charging banks
Cell Phone chargers
Batteries (all kinds, rechargeable ones with the chargers would be awesome as well)
Flashlights, battery powered lights or solar lights
Any equipment that has the manual crank to recharge or operate it.
Pallet wrap- or saran wrap (works amazing for insulation)
Thermouses and other food storage that keeps it warm
Even if a donation drive cannot be organized anytime soon, please consider spreading this information to people to see so these items can maybe be donated or given out.
Thank you for helping us. Homelessness isn't a crime, we are all humans who have a story and want to be back on our feet. These items we often spend a lot of time going through alleyways and digging through trash trying to find is time we could be spending doing other things to get off the streets.
If anyone would like to organize a donation drive, or even just wants to find out where they could go to give out items to the homeless, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I'm always more than willing to give and help others, simply because others helped me and gave me things I've needed without hesitation, it touches my heart and I just want to be able to give the love and kindness back.
Thank you for your time, and support!
Kat Robins
Email:
[email protected]
