It has been cold…bone chilling cold…dress in layers, turn up the heat and pile on the blankets cold, so I had to laugh when I looked at the calendar and realized today is the first official day of winter.
But that means nothing to the people huddled under cardboard boxes, sleeping under expressway bridges or camping out near churches and other places that offer help. The city opens warming centers but there is never enough shelter for those who are homeless, many of them women and children.
But even having a home doesn’t mean you have what you need to face the elements. My heart ached when I drove past a little boy, about eight years old briskly walking on Metropolitan Parkway…his backpack blanketed his back, his hands were shoved into his pants pockets, his short-sleeved yellow shirt perfectly ironed, no jacket, no hat, in 35-degree weather.
It is cold outside and so many people are literally out in the cold. Clean out your closets and give a gift of warmth through agencies collecting clothing and blankets, and money. It will warm your spirits.