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Street
Smart:
Warming Families serves the needs of
homeless and displaced persons by donating items to designated shelters, nursing
homes, and other facilities. As a project, Warming Families does not encourage
the public's direct interaction with street people. However, opportunities may
exist in your community to work at local food banks, participate in meal
service through the holidays, or otherwise work directly with homeless
individuals. Following are some generally recommended precautions you should
take for your own safety in any interactions with people on the street. |
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Read aloud to your child books about homelessness that are at their level of understanding and talk with them of the hardships that losing a home would bring. (see book list).
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Help plan and serve a meal at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
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Help assemble “share care bags” with soap, shampoo, comb, and toothbrushes for a
women’s shelter. Enclose personal notes.
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Collect books, toys, games, and sports equipment that are in good condition from family and friends and donate them to a local shelter.
Most children at shelters have little to play with or read.
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Plan a party with your children to take place at a shelter that is prepared with the children of that shelter in mind. Bring party food, make hand-made hats and favors, and play games, anything your children enjoy doing.
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Call a shelter in advance and ask what food items they most need. Take your children grocery shopping to obtain those items and then to deliver them to the shelter.
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As a family, clean out your closets and donate old clothing to a shelter.
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Another idea for old clothes: take the clothing that is too worn for other use
and work with your children to cut quilting squares out of the clothing. Sew them together into quilts for a local homeless shelter.
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There is a constant need for new clothing such as socks and underwear, too.
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Organize a
lemonade stand or yard sale and give the profits to a shelter, or use the money to purchase things that are needed at the shelter.
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If
your children are old enough, volunteer to help at a homeless shelter. You
and your children can babysit, help kids with homework, or just play games with the children.
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Create Helping Bags with your children for a local homeless shelter.
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Collect and recycle cans, plastic, etc. and donate the proceeds to a shelter or buy items with the
money to give to the shelter. Also,
can collecting is sometimes the only income for some homeless people. Instead of throwing your cans away for a homeless person to dig out, take them to a homeless shelter to give to those who collect cans for recycling.
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Because the fastest growing groups of homeless people are children and women with children, there is a need for disposable diapers, wipes, baby food, formula,clothing, and blankets. Perhaps you can provide chores your children can accomplish for a set amount of money to put towards the purchasing of these items.
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Homeless children dream of new toys such as dolls, trucks, and games just like all children do. Toy donations may be the only gifts they receive for a birthday or Christmas. As a parent, implement a chore chart that will award your child with a certain amount of
money for each chore to be put in a jar or bank. After a certain amount has been raised, it may be given to your child to buy a toy for a child at a local shelter
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Use
birthday parties to help by asking guests to bring a donation, rather than a gift.
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Also see Classroom Involvement for suggestions regarding involving your school.
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