Due to the coronavirus being spread in the United States, the homeless in San Diego have been relocated from shelters to the convention center. They want to stay healthy and help to flatten the curve just as much as we do. In order to achieve this goal, they need basic necessities such as blankets, clothes, and pillows in their new environment. Our non-profit organization, the Bamboo Club, and its members care about the homeless in San Diego, and we were eager to contribute to winning the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we decided to organize a blanket and clothing drive for the homeless.
President and Founder, Nexus Feng, represented the Bamboo Club to contact the Alpha Project for the Homeless, a nonprofit organization based in San Diego that helps thousands of people every day. We arranged to collect the items and donate them through the Alpha Project. They in turn will help us to deliver the supplies to the people in need. We then gathered our club members on Zoom to discuss the details of this event. Even though I could only see them through the computer screen, I could still feel the strong enthusiasm coming from every one of our club members. We planned to collect the donation in front of Philz Coffee at Del Mar Highlands from 5-6 pm on May 2nd and 3rd. We made a poster with the information, including the purpose of this donation, the location, and the time to drop off items. After our meeting, we posted the information on our social media in order to let more people know about this clothing drive.
More than ten club members came to Del Mar Highlands to help collect the donation. Thanks to of our effective advertisement and communication, a lot of friends and even strangers came to donate their items in good condition or even new clothes. We helped them unload the bags of donations at the curbside. A granny from Temecula really warmed our hearts, driving more than one hour to deliver clothes and blankets. Moreover, she is really thoughtful, telling us that she washed and dried everything before donating them.
After two days of blanket and clothing drive, the donations we received filled up two full-size SUVs with second-row seats folded down!
We delivered the donations the next day so the people in need can use them as soon as possible to stay warm and comfortable. We met with the coordinator of the Alpha Project at their headquarters and unloaded all the donations in their loading dock.
From this blanket and clothing drive, I witnessed the compassion and selflessness of people. The Bamboo Club wants to use this platform to show our appreciation to medical staff, organizations like the Alpha Project, and all the people who showed their love for the homeless in San Diego. With their existence, the world is a better place and the COVID-19 pandemic can be defeated.