With spring right around the corner (fingers crossed), we have been busy planning and preparing for our events and programs coming up this year. It’s been a busy month at ResourceWest, and we are excited to share all of the highlights with you in this newsletter. The inaugural Gathering to Grow event took place last week. We are now beginning a spring collection drive to replenish items needed for the Winter Warm Wear Program in the fall. We will be diving in to why the Winter Warm Wear Program is so important.
JCI Hopkins Volunteers from Winter Warm Wear 2022!
Winter Warm Wear Program
The Winter Warm Wear Program is one of the three programs we run that support the children and youth in our community. Every year in October and November, we provide winter coats, hats, and waterproof gloves to youth ages 0-18 in our community. These items equip youth to stay warm and safe during the cold, and sometimes unpredictable Minnesota winters, while also providing guardians with a sense of relief that they do not have to worry about purchasing these items for their children.
In September, we begin our biggest push to collect the items we need for this program. As we collect donations in the weeks prior to the program’s distribution dates where families pick out items, we have many volunteers who come to our office to assist in sorting through and organizing all the donations. Last year, we had 38 different volunteers who dedicated 235 hours combined to assist in the success of this program.
In 2022, we served 325 families through Winter Warm Wear and provided 1,055 youth with coats, hats, and gloves. This past program we saw an increased need for these supplies, through additional families reaching out for an appointment. We even added an additional day of distribution to assist with the unexpected growth in requests. We are anticipating that the need for this program will grow again this year and are hoping we can receive enough coats to accommodate the larger need for supplies.
Last year, there were over 130 donors who supported the Winter Warm Wear Program, by either donating winter warm-wear items, or through a financial donation. We are so grateful for the support from each one of you. Without you, we would not be able to provide the critical resources that families in our community rely upon.
We are hosting a spring collection drive for the Winter Warm Wear Program that will take place between March 20th and March 31st! For more information, keep reading through this newsletter!
ResourceWest's Distribution Room set up for Winter Warm Wear Program!
From the Staff:
Alison, Program & Community Engagement Coordinator
Hello! I’m Alison Kirscht, the Program and Community Engagement Coordinator with ResourceWest. As a licensed educator and K-12 school counselor, I appreciate opportunities to support youth and families in various ways.
Having joined the organization in September, I continue to work collaboratively with staff, school, and community partners to support our Children & Youth programs and further our engagement efforts.
On Tuesday, March 14th, we celebrated our inaugural Gathering to Grow fundraising event at Hopkins Center for the Arts. The outpouring of support from our volunteers, donors, sponsors, and participants was critical in making this event possible and we sincerely thank all of you! Assisting in the coordination of this event is one example of my work here at ResourceWest.
In growing relationships with our partners, I continue to advocate for the health and wellbeing of our community through collection and distribution of critical resources, connecting through events that further our visibility in the community, and engaging in critical dialogue that aims to support our neighbors with empathy and integrity.
I look forward to connecting with you and wishing you all a safe season ahead!
Spring Winter Warm Wear Donation Collection
From March 20th through March 31st, we are hosting a Spring Winter Warm Wear Collection. Now is the perfect time to look through your closets and pull out the coats that no longer fit your family members or take advantage of the great sales and discounts that stores currently have on winter gear!
We are collecting the following:
- New and/or clean and gently used winter coats (all sizes)
- Hats
- Waterproof gloves (all sizes)
- New and/or clean and gently used snowpants
- New and/or clean and gently used snow boots
The winter items that are collected in the next few weeks will be used for our 2023 Winter Warm Wear Program. To successfully support the families receiving these items next winter, it’s important for us to have about 1/3 of the winter items before the program starts. The winter warm wear items we receive now will not only better set up the program for success, but they will also help us to determine what sizes and types of items will be most needed to replenish our inventory for fall.
Donations can be dropped off at ResourceWest on Mondays and Thursdays, 10am-2pm. If these times don’t work with your schedule, you can leave items in the blue ResourceWest barrel outside of our office door. We are located at 1011 1st St S, Suite 109. Our office is located inside the Wells Fargo building, right inside the door that is closest to the Hopkins Municipal Parking Ramp.
If you have questions, you can reach out to Alison, Program & Community Engagement Coordinator, at alison@resourcewest.org.
Gathering to Grow Recap!
Last Tuesday, March 14th, we hosted Gathering to Grow, at Hopkins Center for the Arts! HCA was full of so many wonderful ResourceWest supporters, and we couldn’t be happier with how this inaugural event turned out. It was our first in-person event since early 2020, and it was fantastic to see so many people, both long-time supporters and new faces!
The youth performing at the event were incredibly talented, and it was so much fun to see all of the decorated faces from face painting. If you decorated a clay pot and took home a seed packet, we invite you to send us pictures of your pots and growing seeds. We’d love to see them!
We are happy to share that together we raised $22,000 through Gathering to Grow so far! A huge thank you to everyone that has already supported Gathering to Grow. We’re still accepting donations to help us raise an additional $3,000 this week, which would allow us to reach our goal of $25,000.
Above is Aniya Hollie performing at Gathering to Grow in the Jaycees Studio. To the left, ResourceWest supporters Tiffany and Steve Frazier decorating a quilt square that will be a part of a larger community quilt.
We also would greatly appreciate and value any feedback you may have about Gathering to Grow! To share your thoughts, please click the button below. Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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