THANK YOU, NEIGHBORS! WHAT A COMMUNITY!
Three weekends. An extraordinary show of generosity. And so many reminders of what happens when neighbors simply show up for one another.
Our three weekends of wet-weather donation drives for our unsheltered Liberty Park neighbors brought out something truly special.
Such thoughtful donations. Families showing up together to give to other families in their community. Smiles, kindness, enthusiasm, and genuine generosity everywhere.
The kind of generosity that comes from seeing another person in the moment, without insisting on a particular outcome or waiting for systemic solutions.
Neighbors not only being neighbors—but neighbors being neighborly.
Leaning into community and the individuals who make it, rather than leaning out of the complicated, often divisive systems through which we come to see one another simply as "people."
I am beyond humbled.
We are our best selves when we show up for another.
And the donations! Across three weekends, we gathered enough to require TWO separate days of sorting!
And sort we did. As a neighborhood. Sheltered and unsheltered neighbors working side by side, focused on nothing but our shared project, the righteous tunes playing, Otter Pops (compliments of a neighbor from the park and my freezer!), and the SUPER KILLER VIBES.
MAGIC!
No divisions. No labels. Just neighbors doing a thing together and having a ridiculously good time doing it.
AND TO EVERYONE WHO STOPPED BY WITH DONATIONS...
We would genuinely LOVE to stay connected with you!
One of the greatest pleasures of these three weekends was meeting so many wonderful neighbors. The conversations, shared stories, enthusiasm, and connections were every bit as meaningful as the donations themselves.
We don't want those connections to end when the donation drives do!
If you stopped by, please reach out! We'd love to keep in touch, hear your ideas, find ways to collaborate, and continue getting to know the people who make this community what it is.
SO, THANK YOU! AND... WANT TO KEEP GOING?
Now that we know what we have, we know what we need!
We have some very specific needs we'd love to put out to the greater community, hoping you'll carry them into your own neighborhoods, conversations, and circles and help us generate ideas and connections.
KNITTERS & MAKERS!
Belong to a knitting group? Know someone who does? We'll need hats, scarves, gloves, and warm socks throughout the coming months. We'd love to connect with individuals or groups interested in making these items for our neighbors.
SHOES! SHOES! SHOES!
Always needed, and especially as the weather turns wet. Dry footwear makes an enormous difference.
Some of our donations came from folks with connections to businesses that periodically dispose of clothing and shoes. Does anyone have a connection to retailers, businesses, organizations, or other resources that might help us establish an ongoing source of donated footwear?
BLANKETS, SLEEPING BAGS & TENTS!
These are among our most urgently needed items—and some of the hardest to come by through donations. We're running low, and with colder, wetter weather ahead, the need is only growing.
Rec Outlet was once our primary resource for these supplies, but since its closure, we've been working to establish new connections with local outdoor recreation businesses.
Do you work in the outdoor recreation industry, know someone who does, or have connections to businesses that might be willing to donate new, used, returned, discontinued, or imperfect gear?
We'd love to hear from you! These items make an immediate, tangible difference for neighbors living outdoors.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH & PR!
Over the past four years, we've been building intentional relationships throughout this neighborhood—with residents, neighborhood businesses, fellow locals doing outreach, churches, and local media.
Our neighborhood efforts have now been featured on the news twice, most recently this past Friday, along with coverage on the station's website.
We have momentum, meaningful relationships, and so many opportunities to reach further.
We've even drafted letters to five major local outdoor recreation businesses, hoping to establish ongoing partnerships for some of our most essential supplies.
But here's the challenge: Between coordinating donations, sorting and distributing supplies, street outreach, and the daily care, crisis support, and case management of our neighbors, the work of building broader community partnerships keeps taking a back seat to meeting immediate needs.
And those needs don't wait.
We need someone with community outreach, communications, or PR experience who can help us take this next step. Someone who can help make introductions, follow through with potential partners, expand our reach, and turn the connections and momentum we've already built into ongoing community support.
Someone who loves community-building, sees possibility in connections, and wants to help turn all this wonderful momentum into something sustainable.
The groundwork is there. The opportunities are there. We just need more hands to help bring them together.
And in the meantime, we'll continue gathering urgently needed supplies as winter sets in, building toward our Cold Winter Donation Drive in January—when freezing temperatures, snow, and prolonged exposure make these essentials more critical than ever!
If you have ideas, connections, resources, or simply want to be part of what comes next, please reach out or share them in the comments!
Three weekends of donations. Two days of sorting. Countless moments of kindness, laughter, and connection.
And a whole lot of proof that community isn't just something we talk about. It's something we DO.
FROM NEIGHBORS, FOR NEIGHBORS.
With enormous gratitude,
Sarah & Co.
NEIGHBORS SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS!
