What We Need for the February 24th Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

We’ve hit that funky time of year where the weather goes every which way and we basically live all four seasons in a few days’ time. In two days, we went from 34°F to 90°F!
For the people that we serve, preparation for this time of year can seem nearly impossible. Imagine having to find & carry gear to span every weather possibility, from sunburn-inducing heat to rainy winter cold. So while we’re wrapping up our 2018-2019 Warmth Drive this month, we’ve also added hot weather items to our Amazon wish list, such as insect repellent & sunscreen.
While you’re browsing our Amazon wish list, be sure to sort it by priority! High priority items are the things that are under the green light section of our What Do We Need? page, including the things that we’re currently out of – dental floss/floss picks, insect repellent, nail clippers, men’s underwear, and first aid kits. These and the other green light items will show up right at the top to make donating easy!

A (Big) Change of Clothes

As our longtime donors & volunteers know, our “clothing island” at the giveaways has been around since before our group was named Austin Humanists at Work. Unfortunately, over the past year or so, we’ve had some problems on the clothing island. There has been some pushing/shoving and a few threats of violence against our volunteers. We’ve tried a few different tactics to address these issues, but in the end, they simply didn’t work. In addition to safety issues, clothing takes up a lot of valuable space in our storage unit (and our volunteer’s homes). In order to keep everyone at our giveaways safe and maintain our ability to provide as many people with the greatest amount of assistance possible, the ATXHAW Board of Directors made the decision to stop accepting clothing donations & end the clothing island after the February giveaway. 
If you have clothing that you wish to donate, there are many wonderful organizations in Austin to donate to, including: SAFE, Manos de Cristo, Austin State Hospital, and the ARCH/Front Steps.
Please note: We will continue to accept accessories that can can be placed on our giveaway line, such as socks, underwear, bras, shoes, belts, hats, etc. If you’re not sure whether to donate a certain item, please refer to the complete list of what we do & don’t accept on our Donate page or email donations@austinhumanistsatwork.org.

“Just Because” Bags Return!

This month, ATXHAW is collecting “Just Because” bags. What are “Just Because” bags? They’re paper bags, decorated with drawings, jokes, & inspirational sayings, and filled with items that aren’t usually found on our giveaway line. You can put tons of different things in the bags! Here are a few ideas: prepaid laundry cards, bus passes, decks of cards, puzzle books (don’t forget a pen!), postcards & stamps, gum, and candy. Click here for more info & ideas.

Amplify ATXHAW!

Amplify Austin has become a yearly tradition for the central Texas community. Over 700 nonprofits will receive donation matching funds from the generous partners & sponsors of I Live Here, I Give Here. For the first time, ATXHAW will be one of those nonprofits!
How do I donate? From 6 PM on February 28 until 6 PM on March 1, donate to Austin Humanists at Work on the I Live Here, I Give Here website. (In order to participate in Amplify Austin, you must donate on the I Live Here, I Give Here website. Donations made to our PayPal will not be matched!)
For more information on I Live Here, I Give Here and Amplify Austin, please click here.

Volunteers Needed

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church needs volunteers to help on nights when the Cold Weather Shelter system is activated. The Cold Weather Shelter system is a network of churches and community volunteers that provide extra shelter space on nights where the temperature falls below freezing. Volunteers are needed to prepare dinner, monitor showers, clean up the kitchen, spend overnight, and do morning cleanup. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Ed Kopas at edwardkopas@yahoo.com or 512-659-9880.

Knit & Crochet for a Good Cause

Be like Leonard.

If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit or crochet, Gettin’ Knotty is here to help! You can start with a simple project – a cotton washcloth – and get the feel of working with yarn. Best of all, your washcloth will be given to someone in need at our next giveaway!
ATXHAW’s Gettin’ Knotty group will be meeting in the cafe of Barnes & Noble in the Arboretum on Thursday, February 21 from 7 PM to 10 PM. Come join us for yarn, coffee, and lots of laughs!

Thank you for reading! We hope you got some discounted chocolate after Valentine’s Day – yum. See you on the 24th!