Akron Snow Angels grows from one-off to regular mission (photos)
AKRON, Ohio – Akron Snow Angels, which started as a one-off act of kindness before a snowstorm two years ago, is now an ongoing mission to provide homeless Akronites with food, supplies and warm clothing.
Erin Victor started the group with an impromptu decision in February 2015 to provide warmth for Akron's homeless. She hung scarves, hats, socks and long underwear from trees and fences around Akron with a note letting the homeless know the items were for them. Cleveland.com reported on the act, and the charity was launched.
With a winter storm approaching, an Akron woman decided to hang clothing out for the homeless.
"It was a total fluke; it was going to be a one-time thing," Victor said. "But the story was the catalyst. My phone was blown up with emails and calls. The community wanted to keep it going."
Here's how it works:
Now, with its mission to "Spread the Warmth," Akron Snow Angels is a well-oiled machine with an active board and a growing social media network. It gets donations of goods and cash from residents and groups around Akron to support missions that run from November through April, each serving about 200 homeless residents.
Goodwill of Akron provides hundreds of hats, scarves and gloves, while knitters across Akron make more.
Akron Snow Angels also takes requests, for sleeping bags, shoes or clothing for jobs. If the items aren't picked up, Snow Angels holds onto to them and brings them back on a subsequent mission.
"We get a lot of requests for boots," said Josh Troche, a Snow Angels board member who blogs about the group's missions on Learning by Helping.
What a mission looks like:
On Sunday, under a bright blue sky, about 50 Akron Snow Angels volunteers met at the warehouse and received assignments. About a dozen vehicles bearing large Akron Snow Angels magnets then headed up Market Street to Grace Park.
With many homeless awaiting the groups' arrival, the vehicles lined both sides of Park Street and set up stations, organized by cargo type, for attendees to browse.
One vehicle handled men's shirts and jackets, another carried kids' clothes and one had pants. One station had scarves, hats and gloves. Socks, shoes and belts, underwear, shopping bags, backpacks and sleeping bags were also available.
An SUV held bins of toiletries, while another hauled hand-made brown-bag meals decorated with hand-drawn hearts. A table was set up with hot coffee, water and food to go.
In addition to twice monthly missions to take food and supplies to Akron's homeless, Akron Snow Angels stays true to its roots, bagging hats, scarves and gloves and hanging them from fences and trees with notes of caring and support for the homeless to find.
"It's a Godsend," said Kenneth England who heard about Snow Angels through a friend and came to get shoes, socks, underwear and toiletries. "It's really helpful and I'm appreciative."
Nearby, volunteers from the Peter Maurin Center for the homeless manned a table, and In One Piece Ministriesserved hot food donated every Sunday by the Holiday Inn of Fairlawn.
Who's volunteering:
Volunteers range from couples and college students to families with middle-school and high school kids.
Volunteer Gina Hornacek, who's been on about 15 Snow Angels missions, regularly brings her teenage daughter, Kamryn. Hornacek said she believes kids need exposure to less fortunate populations to better understand the real world.
"Living in the suburbs, they don't see this," she said.
The group keeps track of many of its regulars, knowing where they sleep and looking for check-ins via text or Facebook.
The group works two group missions per month and hosts Christmas in July, which provides free haircuts and medical trucks.
"My complete life has changed and I'm a better person because of it," Victor said. "The community is so warm and caring and there's so much good in people. My volunteers feel the same way."
In fact, the group recently benefited from birthday parties for two children and a 100-year-old woman who each asked that donations be made to Akron Snow Angels in lieu of gifts.
To donate cash or goods to Akron Snow Angels, or volunteer, visit its website. You can also follow Snow Angels events on its Facebook page. A GoFundMe campaignis also underway to help the group fund daily operations and expand its reach.
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