Help - our shelter trailer has been stolen! We lost EVERYTHING.

We are Heart and Home Collaborative and we operate a cold weather shelter in North Santa Clara County every winter in a way that values relationships and respect. Heart and Home fills a critical need for all women -- a shelter space. Every winter we rotate through houses of faith, providing hot meals, community, and a place to sleep for approximately 15 unhoused women at a time. Heart and Home is built on the fundamental idea that safe shelter is a human right and every person deserves to be treated with kindness and dignity.

In June, Heart and Home’s trailer, with all our shelter supplies, was stolen from a donated parking space in Palo Alto. We depend on the trailer to support our rotating shelter model. As a small organization with zero office space, we store absolutely everything our shelter needs in the trailer. When the trailer was stolen we lost our mattresses, cots, bedding, toiletries, air filters and all our cleaning supplies. All our beautiful duct tape! The markers, games and activities, storage bins, period and incontinence supplies, they’re all gone. Without these critical supplies, we cannot offer shelter this winter. Can you help?

We need to raise at least $15,000 to purchase a new trailer and replace the essential items inside, including:

• the 8x12 foot trailer itself
• mattresses
• cots
• air purifiers
• sheets, blankets, comforters, pillows, pillow cases
• COVID personal protective equipment for staff and participants
• iPads, printer and office supplies
• serving utensils, plates, silverware
• cleaning supplies
• storage containers to organize the trailer
• … and many other necessary items

Our goal is to raise $15,000 by August 30, so that our volunteer team can quickly replace everything in time to open our shelter this winter. Can you help us continue to provide a safe space for unhoused women?

Funds raised will be used exclusively to replace our trailer and shelter supplies, unless we exceed our goal. Any funds beyond the costs of these items will help pay for our winter operations for 2021 - 2022, which means paying for our city permits, staff, healthy breakfast and lunch foods and needed operational supplies during the winter.

Thank you so much for helping us provide warm, safe nights for women in the Bay Area. Your support is greatly appreciated. It takes a community to care for our most vulnerable and at-risk neighbors!

Gratefully,

Heart and Home Collaborative

hhcollab.org