Kare Bags for Kristi

As I'm sure many of you know my sister, Kristi, passed away on February 17, 2017 of an overdose. 

Kristi was an amazing soul. She was always the life of the party with some crazy story and her larger than life personality. She was extremely passionate about music, animals, her friends and family, and above all else, Phish. 

We've been really wracking our brains how we can celebrate someone so special while also helping people like her right in our own backyard and we came up with this-

Myself and a group of friends and family (all are welcome to join!) are going to compile bags full of necessities such as warm socks, gloves. Water, healthy snacks, small toiletries etc. and hand them out to our neighbors struggling with addiction living on the streets in Philadelphia. 

Recovery is hard by itself, but every time you wake up on the street, can't do basic things like brush your teeth or brush your hair, or feel completely isolated because you just think you are too far gone, it makes it THAT much harder or nearly impossible to recover. 

Handing out out a few small items and letting these people know someone still cares about them and somewhere, I'm sure, there is someone who wants to see them alive the next day could potentially be the push that gets them to go home, seek treatment, or maybe just feel like a human being again for even a second. 

This idea makes so much sense because in life Kristi was constantly late for work because she was frequently stopped by homeless people walking back with her Star Bucks on Walnut Street and she would take the time to stop, ask them a few questions about themselves, or just listen to them. We all used to bust on her about it but maybe she just sensed that these were still people, regardless of their situation, and they deserved to be heard. 

We will be handing out the bags on February 16 around 5:30-6 pm in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. 

All donations will will go towards filling the bags and anything leftover will be donated to To Write Love on Her Arms, a charity that benefits people suffering with mental illness and addiction. 

Anything helps even even a dollar and we will be so grateful!