The Champaign Park District recently announced a winter clothing drive in collaboration with The H.O.Y.C.E. Center, a local nonprofit that hosts activities that bring together youth in Champaign County.
The drive is intended to provide clothing for local children ages 0 to 17. Both organizations started collecting clothes on Oct. 15 and will continue the drive until Dec. 1. They’re mainly looking for new clothing with price tags on, such as coats, hats, gloves and socks.
There are four drop-off locations people can donate clothes to, including Martens Center, Springer Cultural Center, Leonhard Recreation Center and Human Kinetics.
The park district and H.O.Y.C.E. will distribute clothing items on Dec. 6 at the Urbana Park District Wellness Center. Community members can register for the event on the H.O.Y.C.E. website from Nov. 17 until Dec. 2.
The clothing drive comes after the United States Department of Agriculture cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
There was uncertainty in Champaign-Urbana recently about the effects of SNAP being cut off, and 1.9 million Illinois residents rely on SNAP benefits. The Trump administration said it would partially fund SNAP Monday after a series of rulings. However, on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled the administration can temporarily block SNAP benefits.
In an interview with WCIA, Sarah Sandquist, executive director of Champaign Park District, said the drive is meant to support the community during this time and help families avoid hard decisions due to the government shutdown.
“Hopefully, this drive helps, so they don’t have to make a decision about outfitting their child in a coat,” Sandquist said. “The park district provides lots of opportunities for the community, and this is one more way that we can do our part and be a good community partner.”
Besides the upcoming drive, there are other local programs the C-U community can donate to. These include Salt and Light Ministries, Goodwill, Salvation Army and Courage Connection. Another option is the Immigrant Services of Champaign-Urbana, which only accepts baby clothing.
