This giveaway taking place after an unprecedented winter storm will contain our usual personal hygiene item. We will also reach out to unhomed neighbors, or folks with limited means needing water, food, tents, sleeping bags, tarps and other winter clothing they may need to help finish off winter warmly. We are almost totally out of food offerings and could use a boost of non-perishable and grab and go fruits like apples, oranges, and bananas for the day of the giveaway. Thank you Beyond Belief Network, a secular volunteer network organized by Foundation Beyond Belief, for your last minute donation to help in our relief efforts here in Central Texas.
Check out the information listed below for all the who, what, when, and where:
Who
- Our volunteers will be masked , and will wash/sanitize hands during all aspects of our prep and giveaway.
- Everyone who volunteers at this time must be 16 years of age or older.
- We are asking all volunteers to sign a liability waiver before you volunteers with any aspect of our organization.
- Our teams of volunteers will be kept to small groups who will physically distance themselves for safety. We are only in need of 6-8 volunteers to distribute bags, and no more than 6-8 volunteers for our Winter Warmth Drive tables.
- All items will be bagged prior to the event.
- Please email info@austinhumanistsatwork.org for more information.
What
- Our focus is to continue to offer our staple hygiene/ personal care items, non-perishable foods, and supplies to help replace any items destroyed by the storm like tent, sleeping bags, tarps, sleeping pads, adult size fleece blankets… to folks in Central Austin, doing so with no strings attached.
- Donations we seek to acquire are pre-packaged, single serving sizes of the following (CLICK HERE to go to our Amazon Food Wish List): Slim Jims, beef jerky, canned pull tab Vienna sausages, chicken and tuna packs, chicken and tuna salad snack packs, meal shakes, trail mix, nuts, peanut butter packs, fruit snacks, packs of crackers, and snack bars/ granola bars. Please, all must be non-perishable, cans need to be pull-tab accessible, ready to eat, prepackaged and single serving. No at home portioning from larger supply. Thank you for understanding.
- An essential supply of travel size toiletries will also be in the bags. This list includes, depending on supply/ donations (CLICK HERE to go to our Amazon Main Wish List): soap, shampoo, conditioner, washcloth, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razors, insect repellent, sun screen, toilet paper, men’s socks and menstrual kits. (We are stocked up on some things but not other, visit our What Do We Need page to see what we currently are in dire need for donation)
- We have revamped our main Donate page which gives you categorized cheat sheets of all we do and do not take for donation. We also have a What we need? page which lets everyone know in real time which staple items we are in most need.
- We also have a small supply of fabric masks thanks to Masks in Austin for those who need them. If you would like to donate masks, we will happily keep handing them out. Thank you!
- This is our last month- Winter Warmth Drive: ATXHAW is asking for specific clothing items in clean new or gently used condition to keep members of our community experiencing homelessness warm: sweaters, jackets/ coats/ (water-resistant), hoodies, pullovers, jeans/ sweat ants, thermal underwear, socks, hats, mittens, gloves, scarves
- Please email info@austinhumanistsatwork.org for more information.
When
- Our next giveaway is February 28th, 8:30 – 10:30am and welcomes a limited group of volunteers (16+ years of age and older) to help distribute personal care bags, and warm winter items in Central Austin.
- Please email info@austinhumanistsatwork.org for more information.
Where
- Our volunteers make two stops: our usual location at the under-bridge parking lot along I35 Frontage between 6-8th streets across from APD headquarters and a camp at the Terazza Branch on César Chávez St., Austin Public Library.
- Please email info@austinhumanistsatwork.org for more information.
Other volunteer opportunities
Our Gettin’ Knotty knitting guild is canceled for the month of February. This group knits, crochets, sews masks, washcloths, hats and scarves which are distributed at our giveaways. Join their Facebook group for more information or email Virginia Miller.
ATXHAW is supporting the efforts of Eat Apart Together (EAT), an initiative of Austin Public Health Department, to provide bags of shelf stable food to our unsheltered neighbors in North Austin. Our area is the I-35 corridor North of 183. Each bag will contain 15 pounds of food. For three Sundays a month at 8:30 a.m., then around 10:30- 11am after our 4th Sunday giveaways. Currently we have been operating with a team of 7 people, and 14 stops handing out 100+ bags, and 100+ gallons of water every Sunday. If you have a vehicle that can transport 10-20 bags, and gallons jugs of water, we would love your help. Please email Virginia Miller for more information.
Austin Humanists at Work thanks everyone for their continued support of our organization. Now, more than ever, it is important to come together to help each other through this hard time and much uncertainty. Wishing everyone health, love, and peace.