Bag it Up

Thanksgiving is officially over. Pilgrims and cornucopias have been replaced by twinkling lights and sweeping garland. Hams will be purchased, buttered and broiled. Presents will be wrapped and placed beneath the tree. Families will sip eggnog and bicker over who gets the last Christmas cookie, but with the dismal economy, stagnant housing market, and mass layoffs many families will be turning to food banks and homeless shelters this holiday season.

In Vancouver, Washington Craig Lyons Director of the Center for the Homeless says the number of calls coming into area shelters is on the rise. The calls are coming in record number from a surprising segment of the population: families with children. "Homelessness today doesn't equal the guy on the street corner. That's a small portion of community. One of our goals is to help people recognize that families are homeless," says Lyons.

Garland Home

Vancouver is a small part of a national trend. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. The Coalition estimates that 3.5 million Americans experience lack of shelter in any given calendar year and 1.35 million of those are children.

While your bank account may be stretched to the limit this holiday season here is a simple, low cost way to give back. Gather the family and assemble homeless grab bags together. Fill sandwich bags with protein bars, juice boxes, crackers, warm winter socks, sample size toiletry items, and a small toy, book, or coloring pages for children. Assembling the bags is an easy project; even young children can participate in stuffing bags with goodies. It also provides an opportunity to engage children in discussions about what it means to be homeless. Keep a stockpile of bags in the car to hand out to homeless people on the street. Not only do the bags offer a healthy snack to those in need but they also offer an alternative to handing out cash.

So this holiday season, bag it up and help those in need.

Bag it Up

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