Belmont,
NY – As its 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service project, the
Allegany County Democratic Committee (ACDC) is proud to announce its
partnership with the Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (ACASA)
to help provide vital support for unhoused individuals in the county. Together,
these organizations are collecting winter essentials to address the needs of
those facing harsh conditions.
Observed each year on the third
Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a federal holiday designated
as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to honor
the life and legacy of Dr. King and improve their communities.
“Our members recently attended a forum on
poverty in Allegany County, which reinforced that low wealth and homelessness
often go hand-in-hand,” said Karen Ash, ACDC Chair. “The local statistics are
eye-opening. We hope our collaboration with ACASA will help shine a light on
this issue and cause government leaders to devote attention and resources
toward finding actionable solutions.”
A
donation drive is underway to gather high-priority items, which include:
●
Sweatpants and
sweatshirts (L & XL preferred)
●
Long winter
underwear
●
Winter socks
●
Waterproof warm
gloves
●
Hats and scarves
●
Hand and foot
warmers
●
Gatorade packets
●
Cheese &
cracker packets
●
Aquaphor
●
Blistex SPF 15
●
Deodorant
●
Hairbrushes
●
Ouchless Hair
Elastics
●
Listerine
(alcohol-free)
●
Wet Ones
The drive runs through January 17, 2025 and the collected items will be delivered on Monday, January 20th, the national holiday. ACDC invites everyone to contribute, to help ensure no one faces winter without essential goods. Donation boxes are in place at the following seven locations:
Alfred: Alumni
Hall at Alfred University; Box of Books Library; Union University Church Center
Belmont: Genesee
Valley Central School
Canaseraga: American
Legion Fawcett Post 1582
Fillmore: Wide
Awake Club Library
Wellsville: David A. Howe Library
Cassi Stives, CRPA and Street Outreach and
Engagement for ACASA, said, “Winter is a hard time for our population in
general, but the unhoused folks struggle more than most! This drive is a huge
blessing.”
