We may be on our way out of last week’s freeze, but many New Yorkers continue to face long days and nights out in the cold. Homelessness rates in NYC have been at an all-time high since 2016, with the city’s shelter census exceeding 62,000 people according to the Coalition for the Homeless’ 2017 State of the Homeless report. So this year more than ever, it’s important to give back in any way we can: a small action truly can save a life. Winters being exceptionally dangerous, New York Cares holds an annual city wide coat drive through which they’ve distributed over 1.7 million coats to date. This season they’ve extended the drive through January 12 (this Friday!), due to the cold spell. While they typically have drop off sites all over the city, for these last few days of the drive you can only drop coats off at their central warehouse in midtown. If you don’t have a spare coat or can’t make your way over to the warehouse, you can easily make a small donation by texting the word COAT to 41444. Get all the deets here.
Last thing to keep in mind — we often only think about homelessness when it’s cold out, but it’s prevalent year round. If you see someone in need, there are resources you can tap into to lend a hand, like calling NYC’s Homeless Outreach Teams at 311.
