A woman’s simple plan to help the homeless took off so fast, it outgrew her basement and brought in volunteers from across the city.
Kathy Acre thought she’d fill a few backpacks with hats, gloves, and snacks for homeless people in St. Louis, Missouri.
She may have started off with just 20 backpacks, but this weekend—one full year later—her “Back@You” project plans to deliver more than 200 fully stocked backpacks to people in need in a single night.
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As a single mother whose own career involved working closely with people in public housing, she knew just how thin the line was between having a roof over your head and not having one.
“The one thing I had, no matter how broke or hungry I was, I had a support system,” Acre told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The people on the street don’t have that.”
Acre’s son, a lawyer, incorporated “Back@You” as a nonprofit with its own GoFundMe page, which raised $10,000 in the past year. She’s already launched a second page for next year’s batch of backpacks.
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The money paid for 200 waterproof backpacks with built in ponchos made by Chicago nonprofit Citypak, and the essentials her volunteers stuffed them with. Each contains a fleece throw, a pair of thermal socks and three pairs of heavy, cotton socks, two knit hats, a pair of gloves, and a water bottle.
The Bridge Outreach, a homeless charity, will distribute the backpacks this weekend among St. Louis’ homeless population.
Acre’s finishing touch, a hand-knitted scarf to keep the chill out, was added to remind the wearer that someone is thinking about them.
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As Acre says on her GoFundMe page, “They may be small gestures in the grand scheme of things, but they are filled with love.”
(READ more at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — Photo: Back@You, GoFundMe
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Great idea, however, the blanket needs to be wool. It is much warmer, even warm when wet, and less bulky. These can be purchased at army surplus stores.