Mayor Michelle Wu declared a “cold emergency” for Boston from Friday, February 3 through Saturday, February 4. The wind chill this weekend is predicted to drop as low as -27 degrees Fahrenheit. These frigid temperatures put everyone at risk, but can be especially life-threatening for people experiencing homelessness.
Late in the afternoon on Thursday, February 2, Circle of Hope received an urgent call for coats from Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). They were very worried about their patients as the coldest days approached.
The Circle of Hope team had left for the day, but knowing the urgency of this request, Director of Operations Jody Barnet jumped into her car and drove directly back to Circle of Hope with her daughter. Together, the two filled bags with 150 brand new winter coats, hats, thermals, gloves, and blankets. Shortly after, BHCHP Director of Development Linda O’Connor picked up the winter essentials and immediately begin giving them to patients in deepest need. Linda wrote:
“I can’t thank you and the COH team enough for coming to our rescue tonight! You won’t believe this, but when I saw the big beautiful bags near the back door with the “light on” just waiting to be picked up, I got choked up. For you and the volunteers to pull this amazing donation together means the world to us, and especially to our patients.”
Circle of Hope responds to all emergency requests within 24-48 hours, but this was our fastest yet, taking just a few hours. We were prepared to spring into action to respond to this crisis because of our generous and compassionate donors. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the companies, community groups, families, and individuals who have donated warm coats and accessories this winter. Your generosity is protecting the lives of more than 150 our most vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness during these extreme temperatures.
