Winter is hard on the many men, women and children who live on the streets here in Portland. Portland Rescue Mission supplies many of the needs that homeless people are not able to provide for themselves. We are in constant need of coats, hats, socks and gloves to keep the cold and rain at bay. That is why we are grateful for people like Colin Cathey, a high school student at Pacific Crest Community School.
For his Eagle Scout project, Colin chose to run a coat drive for Portland Rescue Mission. “The idea of a coat drive came up and at first I was hesitant because there wouldn’t be permanent final product,” says Colin. “But then I realized that wasn’t so important. What’s really important is the effect the project has on the community and how many people will benefit from it. I ended up choosing the coat drive because, while I would have no final product to show off, it was something that could truly make a difference to a great number of people.”
With the help of his family and a group of volunteers, including Boy Scouts from his troop and fellow students from his school, Colin went door-to-door with bags and fliers asking people to donate their gently-used coats to help homeless men, women and children here in Portland.
“Our goal was to collect 200 items… and we ended up collecting five hundred, over double our goal. Seeing how much people were willing to give was incredible, and seeing all that clothing piled up gave me one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had. This coat drive is truly my favorite Scouting memory and I would love to do another one in the future.”
See how you can make a difference and meet a need at: /get-involved/donate-food-clothing/.