Offering Warmth To The Homeless

How can you tell the difference between a homeless person and someone acting like a vagrant to collect a few extra bucks?
Chances are the panhandlers holding signs and begging along the side of the road aren't who they portray. The ones who need food, water, clothes, blankets and money are the ones reluctant to ask. They're too busy hiding.
That is what Jody Zaker realized last month after she began a widespread blanket giveaway to the area's homeless, she said.
She encountered some "winos" and others with criminal records, but often times the people sleeping under bridges or behind convenience stores are people down on their luck. They're also embarrassed.
"I was surprised," Zaker said. "The homeless are very humble. They feel badly about needing things."
Zaker is one of the property managers at Paul and Jerry's Self Storage in Spring Hill. She also is the chairwoman for public community service for the Kiwanis Club of Spring Hill.
She decided, along with a friend, to start a blanket drive. Coincidentally, the temperature dropped to freezing levels. It seemed like a logical endeavor at the time.
Zaker, her co-worker Charlie Daniels and two others collect and distribute blankets to homeless across Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties.
"Wherever there's garbage dumps, you will find them," Zaker said. "They're near water. They're behind convenience stores."
There are at least four locations in or near Hernando County where homeless can be found - near U.S. 19, County Line Road, Shady Hills and U.S. 41 in Brooksville, she said.
"You go back there, along County Line, they're in the open fields," Zaker said as she pointed toward the property behind her business.
Many of the homeless have children - including some infants. During the blanket drive prior to Christmas, the volunteers also were collecting stuffed animals.
"We're talking about doing this year-round," Zaker said. "We've thought about a food drive. Maybe we could give them boxes of nonperishable items."
Volunteers will be collecting blankets 12 months out of the year. The homeless use them during the summer months as bedding, Daniels said.
He checked the forecast on his computer. He is constantly accessing weather Web sites to see which days will be the coldest. He expected a cold front to move in after Tuesday.
Those who deliver the blankets take at least 20 at a time. Sometimes, they take as many as 50 per delivery.
The word is getting out. On Christmas Eve, Zaker and Daniels closed the storage business at noon. They arrived several hours later to find more than a dozen blankets in a pile in front of the office door.
The blankets can be old or new. They can be frayed. They can be faded. Jackets, throw rugs and sweaters also are being collected. As long as they are clean, Zaker and the others will deliver them.
"They are very appreciative when they see us," she said. "You see tears in their eyes sometimes."

Blanket donations can be made at Paul and Jerry's Self Storage, located at 10161 County Line Road.
Normal business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 352-684-4414 or e-mail paulnjerryss@tampabay.rr.com