Backpacks For The Homeless

Since 2009, my family has hosted a charity called Backpacks for the Homeless in Southern Oregon...this year makes 9 years! We have accepted donations from Ashland to Grants Pass and have always been dependent on Facebook and word of mouth to spread the charity. We accept donations of clean clothes, food, toiletries, blankets and of course, backpacks. Throughout the Winter season, my family will put these backpacks together and hand them out to needy people in our valley. This year will be very different! A group of us, known as The Bearded Brotherhood have challenged the people of the Rogue Valley to donate money to BUY goods for the Backpacks for the Homeless campaign. I have never accepted cash donations in the past; however, my family has personally put a lot of money out on items we were short on. This year, I would like to be able to purchase used backpacks, wool blankets, bulk socks, non-perishable food and other items. Donations will still be accepted as usual, but we'd really like to raise $1000 by December 15th so that we can get backpacks stocked up and ready to go by Christmas. Please SHARE this post! The new small business Blade & Bourbon in Medford has graciously offered to shave these fine gentleman streaming LIVE on FACEBOOK if we can meet our goal! #dropzonespecialties #backpacksforthehomeless #thebeardedbrotherhood

As of January 2nd, we have hit $820!  Regardless of hitting the goal or not, I visited Blade & Bourbon of Medford, OR and got a fresh trim and shave...oy, no more beard.  Thanks to the generosity of those who have already donated, we have been able to purchase some toilettries and fleece blankets; however, we are still waiting on some vendors to get back to us regarding discounts to maximize the amount and quality of backpacks we can do.

Can't wait!