When we woke up early on Saturday morning, we were pleased that despite the cloudy skies, there was no rain in the forecast until closer to noon. We quickly had some breakfast and started getting things ready for our 16th outreach. This time, we packed more than a rack full of clothing, including long-sleeve shirts, hoodies, and sweaters, fleece and fall jackets, but only a very few pairs of socks and shoes! As the weather keeps getting colder, we need to have these warmer articles of clothing to help people stay warm. We really need men’s socks and are in desperate need of season-appropriate men’s footwear. There really is a great need for shoes and boots!!! We brewed 55 cups of strong coffee in the urn and packed milk, cream, and sugar. We also packed some store-bought treats, which this time were individually wrapped mini loaves in a variety of flavours, including double chocolate chip, banana chocolate chip, marble, mixed berries, cranberry, lemon almond, and lemon poppy seed.
As usual, we also packed toiletries, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. This time we also had a comforter style blanket and a bag full of ties.
We left home a bit earlier than usual and arrived downtown in front of the Salvation Army by 10:20 AM. We quickly opened the table and set up the rack. We put out the coffee and mini loaves and filled the rack with clothing.
Soon there was quite a large group of fellows looking through and picking out clothing, helping themselves to coffee, and enjoying their sweet treat! We really enjoyed some great chats and interactions with the guys. Thanks to all of the generous donations that you all have provided, we were able to get some great, good quality, warm clothing directly to those vulnerable individuals who really needed them the most!
We see firsthand how much the clothing is needed and appreciated! By 11:30 AM most of the clothing and coffee were gone, and not a single crumb was left of the mini loaves! This is when we decided to pack up the car and continue on with our day. We were left with big smiles on our faces and a warm glow in our hearts, after another very successful outreach day!
We again want to thank each and every one of you for any and all donations. Without all of you, we couldn’t do what we do!