By Donna Westfall – January 31, 2017 – I spent 1- 1/2 hours at the Vet Hall Wednesday, January 25th. My job as a volunteer was to interview the homeless, take them into the kitchen to offer them something to eat, offer them 3 pairs of free socks, mittens or thermal protector and show them where they could pick up gently used free clothing, blankets and shoes. By the time I got there at 11:30, the little hygiene kits were down to 4 packets. The event lasted from 8 am to 5 pm. I personally interviewed a few people ranging in age from 20 to 68 years old. They were all polite and grateful. While some would think homeless people would be lined up in droves that didn’t happen. The people doing the counting/interviewing along with volunteers were going out into the community to reach more homeless out in the bushes and hidden from mainstream society over the next few days.
This is all part of the C.O.A.T. program which stands for Community Outreach Assistance Team (TEAM). COAT is a Private Non-Profit Organization. At this time I do not know who organized the non-profit or who is in charge of it. Attached is a list of 20 organizations that are part of the Team. You can see that food, showers, clothing and services are offered at various places all over town on a variety of dates and times.
If you know someone that needs assistance, please share this list with them.
