Here’s the deal: at Kindness Activist, we have a LOT going on.
For example, just this
afternoon David said to me, “I can’t believe you are organizing THREE EVENTS at
the same time…”. And it is true, I am. Ugh.
(Shhh, plus another one he has not heard about yet…)
But that’s ok!! Because there are always things to do, and
there is always kindness that can be spread!
One thing we are trying to
get better at is FINISHING projects.
Like, actually putting all of the bits and pieces away. Writing a report on how things went. Posting a blog to share with YOU, the kind
people who follow our work and donate warm clothing. Really closing projects out before
diving into the next one (or two or three…
Or perhaps at the same time as diving into the next one/s…).
Anyway, consider this the
closing piece on PROJECT WARMTH, 2026!
I figure, now that temperatures are in the 90s here in South Arlington,
Virginia, I should sit down and tell you how the big winter project went.
Our goal for 2026 was to
give away at least 200 coats (we counted snow pants/snow bibs as coats,
too). 200 was a lofty goal… So, how did we do…
We blew that lofty goal
out of the water!!
Project Warmth 2026 distributed 269 coats!!!!
And along with coats, we gave away loads of hats, scarves, hand warmers, mittens, gloves, sweaters, shirts, long underwear, boots, some flannel pajama pants, and socks. Whew – there was a LOT!
We accepted donations January
3 – 10. We set everything up and handed
out the first items on January 12. Here is
a fun fact: the first coat found a new home in just 10 minutes!! We hit our goal of 200 on March 5, and kept
going a couple of weeks after that.
Things that went really
well this year:
-
Storing all of
the donations in storage unit at CubeSmart in Shirlington. We had 3 sturdy clothing racks full of
donations on hangers, an overflowing table of MORE donations waiting to be
hung, and 2 other tables with scarves, hats, etc.
-
Setting up a
sturdy clothes rack in our basement to bring items over a few at a time as
needed.
-
Sorting the racks
at the storage unit into women’s, men’s, and kid’s. That brilliant move didn’t happen until mid-season,
but we have learned it is worth the time to do it.
-
Accepting donations
for only one week. We had plenty during
that short period, and it was good to not have bags of gear showing up on our
porch all season.
-
The new
hangers!! We have always had an issue
with people taking the hangers with the coats, meaning we have to keep
replacing hangers all season. But this
year, someone on Buy Nothing was giving away metal hangers just like hotels
have – the kind that you cannot get off the closet rod no matter how hard you
try. We used those and they were
brilliant and solved the hangers disappearing issue.
-
Adding warm
winter socks to the wish list for the Little Yellow Free Pantry. We want new socks to hand out – everyone deserves
warm, good condition socks. Having them on
the wish list made it easy for donors to purchase.
-
Being willing to
donate most of what was left at the end to charity instead of trying to pack it
away for next year. We only saved a few
really good items that never got put out.
 |
| Snowstorm during Project Warmth 2025 |
And things that could’ve gone better and we hope to improve next year:
-
We had a lot of
sweaters and shirts, and realized that coats are more needed and get taken quicker. We may not accept sweaters next year, but
stick to coats, hoodies, snow pants/snow bibs, boots, and the other
accessories.
-
We need to put
sizes on the boots. It is hard to people
to see inside them, especially when it is dark out and cold.
-
We need to ask
for more HELP. One night a neighbor came
to CubeSmart and was soooo kind to organize a ton. It was very helpful. Next year, we need to ask for help to hang and
organize. People want to help, but they
can’t if we don’t ask.
There you have it! Another successful Project Warmth in the
books.
 |
| David jumping for joy at Project Warmth 2025 |
Special thanks to:
-
Michael Jones,
Sr. at CubeSmart. You sir, ROCK!
-
Lauren Siperstein
– thank you for the loan of the sturdy clothes rack again this year. I promise we will return it soon (see above –
trying to improve actually finishing things…)
-
The many, many
kind people who donated items to be given away
-
The neighbor who
made the sign for Project Warmth a few years ago – was it Lauren?? I love that sign – it is so effective,
functional, and beautiful
-
The neighbor who
helped me organize soooo much one evening at CubeSmart
-
The mysterious
person who donated the “The Comfy”. Even
though it is kid sized, it is so amazing.
I confess, I kept it. I washed it
up and pulling it out of the dryer… Oh
my goodness… Anyway, I PROMISE that I
put in a couple of my coats and sweaters to make up for taking this donation,
but I am now a proud owner of a (kid size) The Comfy.
-
The sweet
neighbors who were so thankful to get warm clothing. We heard loads of “God bless you”s and
statements of gratitude
-
And my partner
for now and forever, David Gaines, who made trip after trip after trip to CubeSmart
with me, repaired the sign for me, put coats out when I couldn’t be here, put
up with me obsessively making tic marks for each coat taken, and was/is the
most supportive human in the world
And with that – PROJECT WARMTH
2026 IS A WRAP!
P.S. – I just did a bit of
research to figure out just how long we have been hosting Project Warmth. I teared up when I realized – 2026 was our 11th year. Over a DECADE of giving away winter
gear, helping people in need stay warm all winter. Color me proud.
