Helping Hands for the Homeless

My name is Barry Masson and I am a United States Army veteran. Yesterday I just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, to meet a fellow veteran named Daniel. Daniel rode in on his bicycle with his black trash bag filled with everything he owned and sat down to take a break on the sidewalk outside. I don't usually do this sort of thing, but I struck up a conversation with Daniel. I asked him if he had eaten. He said he had a can of beans for breakfast. He said he was tired because it's really difficult to sleep when it's only 30 degrees outside. I asked if he needed anything, but he declined. Pride is a powerful thing.  Although it wasn't much, I gave him all of the money in my wallet anyways. After getting to know Daniel a bit, I found out that he was an Air Force veteran and that he was only 29 years old. I thought immediately about the support system I had when I came back to California and how easily I could be in his situation. About how easily any one of us could be in his situation. I told him about some of the programs that the VA offers and he was totally unaware of the help he could receive. I don't know if I will ever see Daniel again or if he will get the help he needs. I do know that our short interaction changed something inside of me. This year I, and other supporters like my wonderful girlfriend whose idea this was, would like to put together as many care packages as possible for our fellow human beings who are less fortunate. The packages would be mostly from the Dollar Store and places that have deals on blankets, socks, and things to help them get through the winter. Hopefully we can even get some participation from sympathetic businesses. The packages will include general toiletries (including feminine hygiene products, diapers, wipes, etc, when it applies), socks, undergarments, blankets, some medicines, and really anything that will make it a little easier on them. We would love to get this done as soon as possible for obvious reasons. I can't express in words how much this would mean to me, my family, our other supporters, and especially the people who will be able to brush their teeth in the morning or put a fresh diaper on their baby. Any little bit helps and the Christmas season is the perfect time to show some compassion. Your donation will go a lot  further here than with some corporate charity. We don't have a CEO to pay so every cent goes to helping our fellow man. This should be too easy. 
 Thanks in advance everyone!