If you are anywhere near downtown Colorado Springs, you are bound to see a homeless person. You may even see them standing at your exit off the highway or around the mall. It may be easy just to ignore them and continue on about your day. However, you may feel like doing more, but not just handing over cash. We are entering a season of thankfulness and gift giving and many people who are homeless will have very little to brighten their holidays. While you may not be able to improve their life through a job or place to live, you can show them you care with a care package.
Recently, a friend of mine wrote about how she and her children showed compassion for their local homeless community with small care packages. These were pre-made bags with a few things that homeless people can use. They also added a note of encouragement and a small Bible. You don’t have to add these things, but this was something they wanted to include. You can get tons of ideas for making care packages for the homeless over on Pinterest. Here is a list of the most commonly included items.
- Warm socks that can be used as socks or cut and turned into gloves.
- Chapstick
- Tooth brush
- Tooth paste
- Bottled water
- Apple Sauce
- Trail Mix
- Beef Jerky
- Wet wipes
- A small Bible from the Gideons.
- $5 bill – Not everyone who makes these packets adds money. One girl said she adds it so they can buy a meal. This is definitely at your discretion.
- Gift Cards to Fast Food Restaurants – This is an alternative to cash and means they can still get a hot meal.
- Tuna in pop top cans
- Lotion
- Sunscreen
- Foot Warmers
- Local Resources Guide – Find a list of COS resources here.
