October 8: 96 clients

We had a great turnout--both volunteers and clients. It was very nice to have 4 volunteers: Aaron, Rachel, Kevin, and Zach. Kevin and Zach are on our Board of Directors. Aaron lives in Germantown MD and had a long commute. Zach lives in Oxon Hill and had to traverse the Washington DC traffic. The weather was perfect, a bit cool at first and then warming up in the fall sun. We also had wonderful participation in packing the Hygiene Kits on October 1. This work takes up to 4-5 hours and more volunteers help the work go fast. One volunteer brought her little dogs. Over ninety clients showed up to receive Hygiene Kits. We had about 20 pairs of shoes that had been donated, and they were also a hit. We had 3 backpacks to distribute as well as 17 fabric shopping bags. As was the case in September, we provided men's and women's Hygiene Kits. The women's kits were appreciated by our clients. We also passed out two entire packages of pads for urinary incontinence. As we try to do with every distribution we provide nonperishable food, socks, and a toothbrush with toothpaste. We also provided tuna in a pouch and a breakfast bar. Other hygiene items were included in the kits such as nail clippers and safety razors with shaving cream. Our clients have asked for both of these items in the past. The event moved quickly. We distributed all of our kits within 3 hours with only 4 to spare. This is the third or fourth time that we distributed essentially 100 kits. We knew some of the clients and they knew us. It was very pleasant to catch up on recent events. They told me about their job searches and the never-ending search for suitable places to sleep. I told them about my canary and why I have shakey hands. A few clients took the time to sit with us and discuss various topics that included current national and local politics and learning to speak Polish. Because we were able to spend time with some of our clients, because we had a large number of clients, and because the packaging event was well attended with volunteers this was a very successful event.