By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
A Yukon service ministry wants the public to grab some bags … and fill them with love.
Compassionate Hands of Yukon is helping struggling Yukon families in February during its “Fill the Love” drive.
This month-long community service effort provides practical household and personal items for struggling Yukon families.
“We are asking people to fill any bag with as many items as they like and drop it off at the Compassionate Hands office (119 S 6th),” Compassionate Hands’ board member Alycia Barry said.
“We are providing bags to churches and at chamber coffees, but for the general public, we are asking them to use their own bags.”
Urgently needed items are:
- Personal items: Toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, shaving cream, and feminine hygiene products
- Baby items: Diapers (sizes 2-6), Pull-ups (sizes 4-6), baby wipes/wash, and baby shampoo
- Cleaning items: Laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, and trash bags
- Office items: Copy paper and file folders
‘HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS’
Compassionate Hands is collecting items that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits don’t cover.
“We’re asking Yukon residents to help your neighbors through temporary crisis,” Compassionate Hands’ director Joanne Riley said. “All donations through our ‘Fill the Love’ drive will stay in Yukon.”
A faith-based non-profit ministry, Compassionate Hands provides emergency rent and utility assistance and personal care items.
The agency has an accessible “Care-a-Van” service that takes Yukon’s seniors and residents with disabilities to medical appointments and personal errands.
Under the guidance of the Yukon Ministerial Alliance, Compassionate Hands has served Yukon since 1994.
“In 2021, we served 350 families with 700 household members,” Riley reported. “Our two vans carried 1,747 passengers on 3,255 trips, traveling 30,147 miles for the year.”
The need for Compassionate Hands’ service has never been more apparent.
“We’ve seen an increased need due to economic instability after the pandemic and a continued recession that has affected employment and our Yukon residents,” Riley added.
To help promote the “Fill the Love” effort, the Yukon Compassionate Hands’ Community Coffee hosted by Gene Vinson will be Friday, Feb. 18 at Bethel Community Church (4901 N Sara Road).
For more information, call (405) 354-9591 or visit compassionatehandsyukon.org
