Last week, as part of Blue Margin’s Community Works program, our team volunteered at the Homeless Gear Warehouse (one of our favorite local organizations) to prepare for their Teen in Need event. The event targets teens with non-permanent housing or without adult supervision. They’re typically runaways or have been abandoned in some way. The goal is to provide the basics in terms of clothing and other gear (e.g., water-bottles, sleeping bags, etc.) so they can actively participate in school. 
To make this event a reality, volunteers in the community solicit abandoned lost-and-found items from local high schools. The amount of quality (and even brand new) items left in lockers and gyms at local high schools is impressive! Other donations come directly from families with teenagers.
The Blue Margin team spent several hours organizing, folding, and labeling items by gender, size, and type. That turned out to be trickier than expected; a surprising number of items simply defied categorization (one satin and faux-fir jacket/cape/shirt, in particular).
If you are interested in donating to this worthy cause, the Homeless Gear Warehouse is still accepting gifts for the Teen in Need event. You can drop off clothes and shoes suitable for teens (boys and girls of all sizes), hygiene items, or other goods to the Homeless Gear Warehouse during the month of April.
