Donation Center at Knox County Homeless Coalition closed week of October 15

Tue, 10/09/2018 - 4:15pm

ROCKPORT — The Knox County Homeless Coalition will not be accepting donations the week of October 15 so that staff and volunteers can do an annual cleaning, inventory and switch over of seasonal items in the donation center. Though the donation center will not be open that week, clients who have an immediate need can connect with their case manager to get required items. Partner vouchers will not be accepted that week. 

The generosity of the community is heartwarming, the coalition said, in a news release: “however we’ve found that since we opened our donation center we never been able to get ahead of ourselves, especially during the times we need to do a seasonal switch to accommodate for the needs of clients and the coming winter. We decided it was necessary to hit the pause button so that we can consistently improve the process for clients and those who donate.”

 “This is a perfect opportunity for us to reorganize and make sure that our “store” meets the needs of our clients and allows them to find the items needed easily and with the most dignity and respect,” said KCHC Volunteer and Donation Center Coordinator Eileen McGuigan, in the release.

“As a reminder, we accept donations of gently-used clothing and household items that still have good life in them. After the donation center reopens on October 22, we will be accepting donations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, or by appointment. Due to limited storage, anyone with a furniture donation should call to confirm we can accept and have space for the larger item. Client access hours will remain the same as before. A few items we cannot accept include: used car seats, cribs, bike helmets, broken appliances.”

To find out more about how to make a difference with those who are homeless in our area, contact the Knox County Homeless Coalition at 207-593-8151 or info@homehelphope.org. 

 

About Knox County Homeless Coalition

Knox County Homeless Coalition, founded in 2014, is the only dedicated homeless organization serving Knox, Waldo and part of Lincoln counties offering case management to an active client base of about 300. They also manage the Hospitality House family shelter—a live-in facility for 23 in Rockport. Their mission is to be the center of excellence in breaking cycles of poverty and homelessness in mid-coast Maine, offering a comprehensive approach to helping vulnerable people build productive and self-sustaining lives by providing intensive wraparound client care as well as shelter when possible. Everything the agency does do is delivered with respect, dignity and genuine caring, delivering on the promise of home, help, and hope.

Since opening their doors in 2014 KCHC has achieved a 90-95 percent success rate for sustainable independence in clients who remain active through the entire program. The Home Help Hope on Wheels van, an added service in 2015 helps remove one of the most critical barriers to rural independence and transports clients to jobs, education, child care, health care and other services, an average of 2,000 miles per month. The newest program of KCHC, The Landing Place, located on Park St. in downtown Rockland, is a highly-relational, low-barrier, comprehensive, youth program for under-served and marginalized teens.