2011 is just around the corner. It's hard to believe, but this will be the 3rd year Operation Warmth is in existence (I was in NYC for the winter of 2008-2009, so unfortunately O/W was skipped for one year).
The amount I've seen this project grow is astounding.
In 2008, when I first started O/W, I drove from house to house to collect donations from individuals who wanted to contribute to the cause. In 2008, I only had 1 shelter to donate to, the Fullerton Armory. In 2008, I did the sorting & distributing of the donations by myself. And in 2008, I went to the laundromat for the first time in my life.
The laundromat? What?
Back when O/W first started, a lot of donations that were collected were not nice & clean (or new) like the donations we've received in 2009 & 2010. Unfortunately, amongst the items donated to O/W, there were a lot of unusable items -- everything from old underwear to ripped and dirty clothing. I went to the laundromat to try and clean the comforters & sweaters that were donated that were unwashed but still usable. It was quite a humbling experience for me, for I had always used the regular-size washer/dryer at my parents' house, and had never ventured out to a laundromat. I'll have to (sheepishly) admit that it was a daunting experience for me; I had no clue on how to use the "7 minute cycle for each quarter" machines.
Back then I created O/W with the sincere hope that I could, at 21, do something for those in need. I never imagined that I would garner THIS much support from family, friends, & the Southern California community. In O/W's inaugural year, I collected ~500 items. I was super impressed by the amount! Back then I was able to count how many items I collected while sorting and bagging the donations...something I'm unable to accurately do now, as the collection amount has increased to be over 10x that!
In 2009, O/W received over 7,000 items. In 2010, I believe we're well over 10,000.
Although it was absolutely exhausting, I'll admit that I miss driving all over Southern California to pick up items. I got to meet people from all walks of life -- a kind 92 year old woman in Pasadena who donated her 4 extra comforters, a 58 year old mother in Villa Park who donated all of her grown up son's old suits, and a 71 year old man who attempted to donate his car (I couldn't accept that donation as I didn't know where I could give a vehicle to!). People who heard me talk about my dream of helping other Californians out on my dad's "A Beautiful Life" radio show on AM 1300 and responded. It was humbling back then. It's even more humbling now.
One of the most difficult challenges I've been facing in the past and this year is storage space for the donations before they're distributed to the shelters. When donations come in, they can't just go right out to the shelters because the shelters each have different needs & the items need to be sorted through for quality assurance. Many of you know that I've had to store donations in my apartment. I've been VERY lucky that my dad believes in me & the cause, and has lent me his offices to collect items and to store donations. Operation Warmth would not be around today if it weren't for my dad, and I love him & am SO grateful to him for all of his support. I still have to borrow his Honda Odyssey van every time I'm making a donation drop off, because only his car is big enough for me to transport items.
Also, I have to thank Sheriff Lee Baca & my dad for helping me modify O/W. When I first conceived the idea for O/W, it was based on an observation my friend Joe had made in DC. As he was walking through Washington Circle, he noticed a couple of volunteers distributing blankets & coats to the homeless. I initially intended on doing something similar. I had told Sheriff Baca that I wanted to collect donations and walk around the downtown Los Angeles "Skid Row" area distributing them. He kindly reminded me that 1.) I'm not trained to defend myself in the event of an emergency and 2.) a lot of the transient population unfortunately has mental issues. With those reminders, I started reaching out to shelters and asking them how I could be of assistance.
And thus began Operation Warmth...
Last year, in 2009, a woman named Ann contacted me about donating brand new heavy duty jackets to O/W -- 3,000 of them. I was so excited to have received such a large donation, but I was also confronted with the dilemma of how to pick up the boxes of jackets. My dad stepped in and contacted his close friend Rick, the CEO of www.Meritline.com. I owe Rick a HUGE "Thank you!" for lending me an enormous truck and a driver for a day to pick up the donations.
On Friday, December 17, 2010, and on Saturday, December 18, 2010, Southern California started experiencing heavy rainstorms. Still, about 3 dozen people came out each day to sort and bag donations at the two "Sorting Parties" Operation Warmth hosted. This winter, three non-profit organizations chose O/W to be their holiday project, and as a result, a LOT of hands were on deck to help out. I never could have possibly imagined that O/W could get this big, and I never could thank the people who were a part of this year's efforts enough. Thank you thank you thank you to the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations (www.UVSA.org), Miss Vietnam of Southern California (www.tetfestival.com), and the Taiwanese American Professionals - LA (tap.tacl.org).
I also must express my deepest gratitude to Anthem Blue Cross, Diamond Wipes, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's City of Industry station, and every single person who has donated or helped out. A couple of stories I want to share --
Anthem Blue Cross heard about my project when they came to my office for a meeting and saw the boxes of donations. Lenny, Melinda, Tim, Shahram, & Debbie of the Anthem Blue Cross team then decided to take it upon themselves to collect items for Operation Warmth. They then drove all of the items they collected from Newbury Park/Thousand Oaks to Hacienda Heights...which is over a 1.5 hour drive WITHOUT traffic.
Vivian, the COO of Diamond Wipes, heard about O/W and offered to donate antibacterial wipes to the shelters in need. Boxes & boxes of wipes were then dropped off at my office!
Also, the LASD Industry station deputies, who I work with every year to coordinate logistics for the Lunar New Year events going on in Hacienda Heights, became involved by collecting items & helping me locate additional shelters in my area to reach out to. Above & beyond their call of duty!
Special thanks also to Assemblymember Mike Eng, Congressman Adam Schiff's staffer Yvonne Hsu, and TAP-LA's President Connie Hwang, UVSA's Victor Nguyen-Lieu for your help & guidance!
Last but not least, I need to thank my colleagues at KCAL Insurance Agency. Thank you for putting up with all of the donations I've been storing in the office, and for helping me answer questions asked by interested donors. Thank you to Michelle for helping me contact the shelters when I was swamped, and to Shawn and Roy for always being on hand to help me carry the boxes & bags that I couldn't physically lift. Most of all, thank you all for the moral support.
From humble beginnings...to now. I tear up every time I think about how far along Operation Warmth has come along.
I feel so blessed. Happy Holidays. <3
All the best,
Angela
