Shelters and community nonprofits warmly welcome winter clothing donations

Officials encourage community members to host their own community winter drive for donations

SAN ANTONIO – Local nonprofits are stocking up on warm coats, sweaters, and clothing as temperatures begin to dip.

Gavin Rogers with Corazon San Antonio says their day center has a stack of sweaters ready to hand out. But he says they’re cautious about handing out any heavy coats.

“It’s tough because weather changes so quickly here that you pass out the jackets one day, and then it’s hot the next week. So we try to, you know, spread out those resources all throughout the season,” he explains.

The staff is also prepared to make extra food as they see an increase during the day of people trying to escape the cold.

Terri Behling with Haven for Hope says there blankets, new socks, and underwear are always in high demand at the shelter this time of the year.

“For a recent sock drive that we did, we estimated 1,500 socks per month are distributed, and that’s on the lower end,” she explains.

Donations for warm clothes for women and children are always welcomed and come in often, but many of their clients are men. So light warm clothing is always on the donation need list.

She urges community members to host their own community winter drive for Haven for Hope, and there’s information on how to do that on their website. She says the need goes beyond this week.

“People like to give this time of year. And so we do receive a lot of donations, and we’re grateful for it. But the need is there beyond the holidays into January, February and March. So the more that we can have on hand and have available, the better,” she said.

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About the Authors:

Patty Santos joined the KSAT 12 News team in July 2017. She has a proven track record of reporting on hard-hitting news that affects the community.