MEDIA ADVISORY: For immediate release
CONTACT:
Kathleen Wiener
336-721-9378 (office)
Kathleen.Wiener@uwforsyth.org
Andrea Kurtz
336-721-9373(office)
Andrea.Kurtz@uwforsyth.org
VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS NEEDED FOR JANUARY 2016 HOMELESS COUNT
Winston-Salem, NC …..The Homeless Point-in-Time Count is a one day, unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families in Forsyth County. The count, coordinated by United Way of Forsyth County and the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Homeless Council, helps determine the extent of homelessness in our community. The data collected is used to plan services for the homeless throughout the year.
Volunteers are needed to help with the identification and counting of people who are sleeping outside on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 in Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas. Volunteers will be organized into groups of four or five and in two shifts, 9pm-12am and 1am-4am. Organizers will be assembling bags of necessities to hand out to homeless men and women and are seeking donations of winter hats, scarves, hand warmers, individual tissue packets, sun screen, bottled water, canned foods with pop-tops or pre-packaged food, and plastic utensils.
Volunteers may register by visiting www.forsythunitedway.org. Donations can be delivered to United Way of Forsyth County at 301 N. Main Street.
In October 2015, Winston-Salem was certified as having met the goal of ending veteran homelessness. The community is attempting to end chronic homelessness by December 2016. Both of these milestones are part of Zero 2016, a national campaign to end veteran and chronic homelessness.
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United Way of Forsyth County believes quality of life relies on three building blocks—education, financial stability, and health. All three are critical and interdependent to the collective success of our community. United Way of Forsyth County changes the community by aligning resources and strategic partners to achieve measurable, lasting results. The organization invests in improving student success and the high school graduation rate, increasing financial stability among lower-income individuals and families, broadening access to health care and prescription medications to the un- and under-insured, and providing critical assistance to those facing immediate crisis. Learn more about our work at www.ForsythUnitedWay.org.