United Way of the Midlands hosts donation drive for the annual Point-in-Time Homelessness Count now through January 10, 2020

Columbia, S.C. (November 5, 2019) – United Way of the Midlands, lead agency of Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH), is collecting new winter items to help those experiencing homelessness this winter.

New winter hats, gloves, scarves and blankets are needed to be distributed during the regional Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Count held from January 22 – January 28, 2020. This count is part of the national Point-in-Time Count that takes place across the country to determine the extent of homelessness in a given night.

The community can help with the donation drive by:

• Purchasing new winter hats, gloves, scarves and blankets and taking them to United Way of the Midlands at 1818 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Purchasing items from United Way’s Amazon Wish List to be shipped directly to United Way

All donation items must be delivered to United Way of the Midlands 5:00 p.m. on January 10, 2020.

“The Point-in-Time Count is critical for us to get a clear view of what homelessness actually looks like in our communities,” said Sara Fawcett, United Way of the Midlands President and CEO. “We aim to learn more about the circumstances and needs of those who are experiencing homelessness in our communities. As we conduct our PIT Count, the outreach workers and volunteers will be handing out the new cold weather items collected during the donation drive.”

The PIT Count is an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland and York counties. With successive counts, we can better understand homelessness and housing needs and measure our progress.

United Way is accepting donated items until 5:00 p.m. on January 10, 2020. The Amazon Wish List can be reached by visiting uway.org/events/point-time-count-donation-drive.

If you wish to conduct a group donation drive, please contact Cathy Hood-Pittenger at (803) 733-5115 or CHood-Pittenger@uway.org.

In addition to donations, MACH is still in need of PIT Count Coordinators for Calhoun and Fairfield counties. Learn more about being a PIT Count Coordinator at midlandshomeless.com or by contacting Cathy Pittenger at (803) 733-5115 or CHood-Pittenger@uway.org.

Volunteers are needed to help count in all 13 counties. The community can learn more about volunteer opportunities and register to volunteer beginning January 2, 2020 by visiting volunteer.uway.org/pit-count.

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About United Way of the Midlands

United Way of the Midlands is the most collaborative, efficient and accountable model for investing in the improvement of the Midlands community. With nearly 65 Community Impact Partners, United Way works to identify and respond to the critical human service needs of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland counties. Funds are raised through workplace campaigns, grant writing and individual donations and are directed to fight for causes including childhood literacy, economic mobility and dental and eye care for those without resources. For more information, please visit uway.org.