Humility Homes & Services Chief Development Officer Megan Brown-Saldana says this year's holiday sip and shop is poised to be a success.
"[W]e're excited to announce that with all of the partners, every single kid in our program has been adopted for a full holiday gift," Brown-Saldana said in an interview with WVIK on Monday, Dec. 9th. "And so that's items that they both want and need. They provided that wish list. Donors go out. They shop. And then this upcoming Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, the Holiday Sip and Shop, it's the last chance for drop-offs."
According to Brown-Saldana, the second chance sale began as a yard sale with Sister Mary Ann Vogel and has since grown into the Fresh Start and Corner Closet Donation Center, located at 522 Fillmore Street in Davenport.
She says people receiving gifts this holiday season should consider donating their older items to the center, which will assist residents who start out with nothing.
"If you get new pots and pans for Christmas. Or you get a new set of towels. Those old towels. Those old pots and pans. They are super perfect for someone who's just moving in to their first place. And we take those items at our corner closet," Brown-Saldana said. "And there is more information online for what we do and don't take. But pretty much anything that you might use getting ready for your day are items that we would take to help empower other people to have successful days."
Most items, like clothing and hygiene products, are set aside for unhoused residents, but the center does sell items to the public as another tool to secure funding.
"Anything that's donated that's kind of like specialty. There's a seven-person toboggan out there. Those are not things that are going to be of use to someone who is currently unhoused or formerly unhoused. And so we sell them over here at the Fresh Start Center," Brown-Saldana said. "And people always say, 'Oh, well, you sell items that are donated.' We sell specialty items that are donated. And the government will match those sales in housing dollars. And so there's a lot of little pieces that kind of fit together at the end of the day to make sure that people have what they need to be successful once they're housed."
The organization is still accepting $20 Walmart gift cards for adults as they're halfway to ensuring all 300 adults receive one this holiday season. Brown-Saldana says the funds may not seem like much, but they provide some agency to unhoused residents.
The holiday sip and shop event last year helped 167 kids, and this year, the organization is aiming to bring some holiday cheer to over 250 kids.
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