Comfort Bags 2.0... Caring in the Cold (Alaska)

Hello Friends!

I live in Anchorage, Alaska and last year I wasn't able to go home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Go Steelers!) because of the risks associated with the pre-vaccine Covid pandemic. Facing the first missed Christmas Of. My. Life. I decided that the best way to keep busy and feel better was to convert my Christmas shopping budget into a community service project. Any presents that I could hope to Amazon home on my meager budget would lose most of their clever whimsy over Zoom, so I decided that everyone I love was getting the gift of providing comfort and compassion to those in frigid Anchorage, Alaska who are housing insecure. I learned A LOT about what folx without homes in Anchorage can actually use... and more importantly, carry around in the middle of winter.

So, this year I have made some adjustments! Instead of making hundreds of identical bags, with all sorts of superfluous stuff--i mean, they might want *one* of each thing, but nobody who is prioritizing what to keep and carry needs another soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste every time I see them. But, they will always need more socks, snacks, and handwarmers so that is my main focus this year! Also, backpacks, reusable bags, and blankets. I've spent about$300 so far at coscto on stuff that was on sale, like socks, underwear, and handwarmers. I would actually like to see how much I can buy in bulk online. I will update you when I have more details, and possibly include links for you to order stuff directly and have it shipped here, to make the most of your $$$!

We made 240 bags last year, this year our success will be measured in socks, snacks, and handwarmers!!!