How Your Cincinnati Car Donation Can Help The Homeless Through A Frigid Winter

Winter is when the homeless need our help the most. Donate coats, blankets and scarves to care for our neighbors in need.

Driving through hazardous weather to work, shoveling snow and skyrocketing gas bills are just a few of the everyday annoyances we have to put up with when living in the midwest.

However, despite these annual nuisances, most of us at least have a place to stay that protects us from the icy winds and continuous snow. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone.

Winter and the homeless population

Every winter, America’s homeless have to contend with finding food, earning money, and most importantly, locating shelter to protect them from the icy temperatures. Sadly, those that can’t are met with tragic consequences.

Last year, 26 people, many of whom were homeless, died in Chicago during the winter as a result of sub-zero temperatures. In Denver, more than 700 homeless have died due to hypothermia since the year 2000. Even our nation’s capital is affected by these tragedies.

Homeless populations in states that are typically warm are at risk as well. In 2013, an uncommonly cold winter in California killed seven homeless people in less than 20 days.

And, while there are homeless shelters in many areas that reach inhospitably cold conditions during the winter months, many of them are operating at full capacity. Additionally, some emergency shelters remain closed until temperatures are near freezing, despite the fact that hypothermia can set in at a mere 50 degrees fahrenheit.

How you can help

While many are working towards dynamic solutions to help the homeless stay warm this winter, you can help by donating the following items:

  • Gloves
  • Shoes and boots
  • Socks
  • Hats
  • Jackets and coats
  • Sweaters
  • Scarfs
  • Blankets

Locate a drop-off location near you and donate any warm clothes you have that are in good condition. By giving this gift of warmth, you can help keep the homeless protected from the icy winter weather.

Make a Cincinnati car donation today

If you have an extra or unused vehicle, please donate it to Volunteers of America. When you provide us with a car, truck, RV, tractor, boat, or almost anything else with a motor to Volunteers of America, you’ll be funding supportive shelters and assistance programs that can help change lives in all of the Ohio communities we serve.

We’ll even take vehicles that aren’t running, and we can send free same-day towing to pick them up. You might even make more money off of your vehicle as a tax-deductible donation rather than you would by selling it in the classifieds.

Visit our new auto auction website if you’re interested in purchasing a vehicle, and help keep the homeless warm this winter by donating to Volunteers of America today.