Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach Encourages Donation Drives for Gloves, Masks, Blankets
With winter weather here and frigid temperatures bringing high risk for people experiencing homelessness to develop threatening conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia, the Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach (mtko.org) is encouraging donations of warm winter gear. Items currently needed most include warm winter gloves (men’s sizes L or XL), hand and foot warmers, masks, and blankets. Matt Talbot reaches out to individuals who are living outside to offer assistance, personal care items, hats, gloves, hand warmers, blankets, and socks. Many people experiencing unsheltered homelessness come to Matt Talbot to receive meals, take showers, do laundry, and pick up their mail.
The outreach team also seeks out those experiencing homelessness by walking the downtown streets and hiking to undeveloped land in Lincoln to reach out to individuals who are camping. Sometimes the outreach is as simple as offering a caring smile and handing a person some warm winter gloves. Other times the outreach is more complex and might involve helping a person receive crisis support or medical care. The goal is to meet immediate needs when possible, build trust, and increase the chances that eventually people will be receptive to receiving services that can help move them off the street and into safe shelter.
To make donations of warm winter gear to Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach and support its mission this winter, you can place them in the donation receptacle by the service door, on the east side of the facility (2121 N 27th St.), Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cash donations also are appreciated at mtko.org.