You can help provide families experiencing homelessness with comfort during the holidays and necessities to keep warm.

Homelessness service providers are asking for help collecting everyday items for families staying at a temporary shelter site at the old School 68 building. Items include hygiene supplies, coffee and blankets.

Many requested items are for children, including DVD movies, toys and books.

[Why homeless winter contingency is different this year]

There are a few ways you can help.

The easiest way is to use the Amazon wish list, which sends items directly to the site.

You can also drop off donations at the school, 2107 N. Riley Ave., at Door 4 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A list of needed items is at the bottom of this story.

If you have other ideas about how to support families — such as donation drives or monetary donations — email the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety at ophs@indy.gov.

Families began moving into the School 68 building this week. The overflow site will remain open through the end of March as part of the city’s homeless winter contingency plan.

Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.

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How you can help homeless families this winter

by Tyler Fenwick, Mirror Indy
December 19, 2024

<h1>How you can help homeless families this winter</h1> <p class="byline">by Tyler Fenwick, Mirror Indy <br />December 19, 2024</p> <p>You can help provide families experiencing homelessness with comfort during the holidays and necessities to keep warm.</p> <p>Homelessness service providers are asking for help collecting everyday items for families staying at a <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-homeless-shelter-site-open-december-winter-contingency-wheeler-mission/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">temporary shelter site at the old School 68 building</a>. Items include hygiene supplies, coffee and blankets.</p> <p>Many requested items are for children, including DVD movies, toys and books.</p> <p><em><strong><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/wheeler-mission-indianapolis-homeless-shelter-tipping-point-looking-help/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">[Why homeless winter contingency is differen</a></strong></em><strong><em><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/wheeler-mission-indianapolis-homeless-shelter-tipping-point-looking-help/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">t this year]</a></em></strong></p> <p>There are a few ways you can help.</p> <p>The easiest way is to use the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/25FZ0JHC341YO?ref_=wl_share&amp;mc_cid=3be833a52b&amp;mc_eid=6e375fc0ed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon wish list</a>, which sends items directly to the site.</p> <p>You can also drop off donations at the school, 2107 N. Riley Ave., at Door 4 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A list of needed items is at the bottom of this story.</p> <p>If you have other ideas about how to support families — such as donation drives or monetary donations — email the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety at <a href="mailto:ophs@indy.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ophs@indy.gov</a>.</p> <p>Families began moving into the School 68 building this week. The overflow site will remain open through the end of March as part of the city’s homeless <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-homeless-winter-contingency-plan-wheeler-mission-shelters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">winter contingency plan</a>.</p> <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-shelter-needs">Family shelter needs:</h3> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>A small refrigerator for medication</li> <li>Smart TV</li> <li>Folding tables</li> <li>Folding chairs</li> <li>Water bottles</li> <li>Continental breakfast/snacks</li> <li>Toilet paper</li> <li>Paper towels</li> <li>Disposable plates and utensils</li> <li>Coffee pots</li> <li>Coffee</li> <li>Children’s toys and books</li> <li>Pack and plays</li> <li>Blankets</li> </ul></div> <div class="wp-block-column"> <ul style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0" class="wp-block-list"> <li>Formula</li> <li>Bottles</li> <li>Diapers</li> <li>Wipes</li> <li>Pacifiers</li> <li>Sweatshirts and sweatpants for kids and adults — all sizes</li> <li>Socks and underwear for kids and adults — all sizes</li> <li>Coats</li> <li>Hats, gloves and scarves</li> <li>Socks</li> <li>Lice kits</li> <li>Snacks</li> <li>Hygiene kits</li> </ul></div> <div class="wp-block-column"> <ul style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0" class="wp-block-list"> <li>Over-the-counter medicine, including kids medicine</li> <li>First-aid items such as Band-Aids</li> <li>Shampoo and conditioner</li> <li>Feminine products</li> <li>Lotion</li> <li>Chapstick</li> <li>Cleaning supplies such as bleach wipes</li> <li>Disposable gloves</li> <li>Shower shoes/flip flops</li> <li>Towels/wash cloths</li> <li>Soap</li> <li>Toothpaste and toothbrushes</li> </ul></div> </p></div> </p></div> <p><em>Mirror Indy reporter </em><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/author/tfenwick/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Tyler Fenwick</em></a><em> covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X </em><a href="https://twitter.com/Ty_Fenwick" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>@ty_fenwick</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/help-indianapolis-homeless-families-winter-emergency-shelter/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=42676&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/help-indianapolis-homeless-families-winter-emergency-shelter/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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