The number of displaced people in Denver continues to rise each year, and with the unauthorized camping ban in place since June, the city’s homeless population is feeling the pinch more than ever. Sacred Heart House of Denver is one of many programs designed to address the issue.

Sacred Heart House of Denver combats the issues of homelessness in two ways: The In-House Stabilization Program provides women and children with basic needs like food, clothing, and transportation. Residents are required to participate in a series of parenting and life skills workshops. Once the women move into their own housing, they can still receive services from Sacred Heart’s Follow-Up Program, which provides things like furniture, food, and help during the holidays.

That’s where you come in. Every year, Sacred Heart provides an Adopt-a-Family program for its former residents. Times are tight for everyone, but imagine trying to make the transition from being homeless to managing a household and making the holidays special. Sacred Heart helps make the holidays a little brighter for their former residents by gathering donations of new gifts for children (infants through 17 years old), mothers, and single women. “These wonderful and generous gifts are merely symbolic of one family reaching out to another, so no matter how small or how large they are, the kindness with which they are given is priceless,” says program assistant Kathryn Southard.

Get Involved: You can find plenty of ways to donate on the program’s website, everything from Enterprise Zone contributions and real estate to smaller items like cleaning and school supplies, diapers, and hygiene items. To schedule a drop-off time for Adopt-a-Family items, call 303-296-6686. Items like furniture and larger household goods can be picked up and delivered directly to a family in need.

—Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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