San Jose, December 22, 2015: Care and Giving for the Holiday season began in the month of November for Sourcewise with the kick-off of a holiday coat drive in support of the One Warm Coat project. One Warm Coat’s mission is simple— to provide anyone in need with a warm coat free of charge. In 1992, the organization began with a Thanksgiving coat drive and has since increased its reach—supporting 3,000 coat drives nationwide. 

In San Jose, many will benefit from a new warm coat to shelter them from the cold weather: the homeless population in particular, who—according to a 2015 census—represents over 4,063 people this year (249 were children under the age of 18, and 3,814 were 18 and older).

Reports show that 69 percent of the homeless are without any form of shelter, a major concern due to the recent inclement weather.

“It is important to do something to keep people warm. There is a huge homeless population and (we) knew it would be cold, rainy, and wet,” said Rose Fontes, Lead Community Resource Specialist who is also the One Warm Coat drive ambassador at Sourcewise, and who spearheads employee involvement in the drive.

Sourcewise will donate gently used coats in any size to benefit the drive. “This is our second year Sourcewise has participated in the One Warm Coat Drive. The response from our employees has been amazing…we have more than tripled our donations from last year's drive,” says Rose Fontes. 

The benefactor of this drive is A Family Community Church – Homeless Ministry, a local church that conducts outreach to the homeless living in downtown San Jose. The program serves lunch every Saturday at the Salvation Army in downtown and accepts donations on these days of:

• Cases of bottled water
• Sweatshirts, sweatpants, jackets, socks (socks are always needed!)
• Candles (for light and warmth)
• Small toothpaste, disposable razors, shampoo
• C or D batteries (for flashlights)
• Beanies, stocking caps, gloves

Sourcewise is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) serving all adults, families, and their caregivers in Santa Clara County since 1973.

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Contact Info: Aneliza Del Pinal
                     Director, Public Relations
                     (408) 557-4701
                     adelpinal@mysourcewise.com

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