Staff Council Sock and Blanket Drive to Help Houston's Homeless and Needy

November 11, 2008

This year the University of Houston Staff Council will once again conduct their annual Sock and Blanket Drive for the benefit of Star of Hope Mission and the Harris County Protective Services Guardianship program.

Staff Council will be collecting the following types of new or gently used items at collection bins around campus from (Monday) Nov. 10 through (Friday) Nov. 21:

• socks and underwear, size XS to XXXL (new only)
• sheets and blankets/comforters
• towels
• coats  and other misc. warm clothing items such as unisex sweat suits
• children’s and baby clothes
• professional attire
• over –the-counter medications such as aspirin and Pepto-Bismol
• makeup, cologne/perfume
• stuffed animals
• hairstyling products
• adult diapers

The Star of Hope requests clean and gently used items. The Star of Hope has served Houston’s homeless since 1907. The organization provides food, clothing, shelter, and other services to men, women, and children through emergency shelters, transitional living centers, and out-on-the-street distributions (through their Love in Action Van Outreach).  Approximately one-third of the people served are children. The Star of Hope also helps to transition the homeless into apartments and housing.

The Guardianship Program requests new items for holiday gift baskets for their clients who do not have family or friends to visit them or give them gifts. The Harris County Protective Services Guardianship Program serves as legal guardians for 1,300 adults, ages 18 to 105. Many of the clients are mentally challenged, severely mentally ill or elderly. Individuals live in personal care homes, assisted living centers, group homes, state hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, and individual family homes.

For more information, contact Letecia Henry (lalynch@central.uh.edu) or Cynthia Romero (cfromero@uh.edu), or visit the Staff Council website at www.uh.edu/sc.