In the face of homelessness, even the smallest gestures can make a significant impact. One such gesture is providing slippers to those living on the streets, offering not only warmth and comfort but also a sense of dignity.
Step 1 – Select your Group of Recipients and Target Area(s)
- Identify the specific demographic you aim to assist, whether it’s the general homeless population or a specific group
- Choose target areas where homelessness is prevalent, considering factors like weather conditions and local resources.
Step 2 – Select the Number and Type of Items you want to give away
- Sturdy and affordable slippers are the best choice for giving away pairs, make sure it’s something many people can use outside.
- Check the pricing per pair of slippers, if you buy larger amounts you might buy wholesale or from the factory directly. Decide on a number that you feel comfortable to afford.
- Consider the size and total weight of the items (larger numbers can sum up to a higher total weight very fast), you still have to transport and distribute them
Step 3 – Plan a Setup and Flow of Distribution
- There are two parts of the distribution: Transportation and Handover
- Transportation: Do you want to use a vehicle? Can you do it alone or do you need help? Can you load everything at once or need to go back inbetween to load more items? Do you for example need storage in order to secure the items?
- Handover: How will you find the recipient? How will you approach him/her? Will you say something before or afterwards?
- Identify a central location for the distribution, ensuring it is easily accessible for the homeless population.
- If you have to record the handover, don’t hold the camera straight into your recipients face or even ask them to pose. Recipients will not feel good about receiving your gift if they are just used for your video.
Step 4 – Buy and prepare all Materials required for your Plan
- Compile a list of materials needed for the distribution, including slippers, bags for packaging, and any informational materials you wish to distribute alongside the footwear.
- It’s often nice to add a message to your gift, even if they are just printed out on paper and taped onto the packaging. People will wonder why you gave them a pair of slippers randomly, tell them what you want them to know, as short as possible.
- Bundle finalized pairs into ecobags or similar so they can be stored and later loaded easier
Step 5 – Organize help for Distribution if necessary
- Especially when giving away many pair of slippers, you might need a vehicle and potentially even a driver or rider that helps you while you give the slippers to the recipients
- Volunteers can assist with various tasks, such as organizing slippers, managing the distribution line, or providing information to recipients.
- Make sure the vehicle is able to support the total size and weight
Step 6 – Do the Distribution
- If your plan was detailed enough, most will work as planned
- Prepare some more time than you think for unexpected situations (traffic, not finding enough recipients right away, etc.)
- Be flexible in case something goes wrong to at least make the best out of it for yourself and the recipients. It’s the thought that counts and many people will appreciate that already.
- Don’t set your expectations for reactions too high. Some people can be happy even without freaking out
