NEWPORT, Ky. - With the temperature in the single digits, Bruce Stelzer couldn't have been more grateful - or more surprised - to get a large donation of clothing.
"We will serve 200-plus people every evening," says Stelzer, executive director of the Henry Hosea House, where the homeless can get a meal and clothing items.
Caps, gloves, socks, blankets - all donated with love.
Stelzer recalled a recent phone call with an offer of help.
"This young man's father called me and said, ‘You know, my son did this thing,'" Stelzer said.
"I thought, ‘A couple dozen socks and that's really sweet.’
“He says, ‘No, it's closer to 400.’
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’"
He wasn’t kidding: 8-year-old Aiden Silverton and his sister Reagan had collected 391 pairs of socks from the family's front porch.
"The young people are amazing. They're amazing,” Stelzer said. “Somebody my age that looks at the generation … We're in good hands. We're in really good hands."
Never was a donation more timely. But more is always needed, Stelzer said.
"This time of the year, it’s socks, gloves, knit caps, and blankets," Stelzer said. “These people are really cold. We appreciate anything we can get. There's no such thing as too many.”
You can donate at www.henryhoseahouse.com/donate.html.
