October 31 clothing and household goods drive for homeless veterans

Janice Pell

Saturday morning, October 31, The Women of Quail Creek will hold its sixth annual clothing and household goods drive for homeless veterans in the Tucson area. TWOQC volunteers will be accepting donations from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the Madera Clubhouse.

According to VA officials, there are 2,437 homeless veterans in southern Arizona. Of these, 385 have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Of the total number of homeless, 243 are female.

Veterans, both men and women, will need warm clothing when the days and nights turn chilly. Suggested items for donation include hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, men’s jeans in a 34 waist size and smaller, slacks, knitted scarfs and hats, men’s tee shirts, tennis shoes and backpacks. New and gently used clothing will be accepted if used items are clean and in good condition. Socks and underwear must be new. It would be helpful if items are sorted and folded.

A joint program between the U.S. Department of Housing Urban  Development and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing places homeless veterans in transitional housing until they can find jobs and move into more permanent quarters. Suggested items for contributions that will help supplement this program include small household goods, paper products, cleaning supplies, towels and washcloths, laundry detergent and queen sized or smaller linens. Monetary contributions will be used to help furnish the apartments. Bicycles have been requested to be used by veterans that have recently moved into housing and need transportation for travel to and from work or to job interviews.

Patients in the VA Hospital are in need of new razors and shaving cream, denture cleaner and adhesive, bar soaps, full and travel sized toiletries, note pads and greeting cards.

TWOQC volunteers will sort, pack and deliver the donations to the Veterans Hospital in Tucson. For the past five years this event has been a tremendous success thanks to the generosity of our community, providing aid to so many in need. Please help give our homeless veterans treats this Halloween.

Questions about the project should be directed to Mary Lou Kiger at 625-3235 or Peggy McGee at [email protected]  or 207-6188.