Homeless outreach programs in desperate need of coats, sleeping bags before Winter

Medford, Ore — With the weather changing, Southern Oregon charities are rushing to help the area’s most vulnerable.

Donations have cooled along with the temperatures and one outreach effort needs your help keep up.

“If you just look outside your door or walk down the street you’re going to see so many people that are struggling,” said Melissa Mayne, founder of the “Compassion Highway Project”.

Times are tough for those without a roof over their heads few understand that better than Melissa Mayne.

“We’re more street based, we like to go out on the streets to help people, more than having a building and them coming to us. We like to go out to them in their own environment,” said Mayne.

Mayne’s organization aids the homeless population in Medford, helping people like Brian who live out of their cars and on the streets.

“The resources are scattered throughout the county, and she comes to us, it makes it a lot easier,” said Brian.

Especially this time of year, as temperatures drop heading into winter.

“It’s very difficult out here, there’s nowhere to go, the blankets and sleeping bags are limited so the Compassion Project is a good organization,” said Mayne.

Compassion Highway Project distributes clothes, food, sleeping bags & coats twice a week to homeless in the community as well as weekly dinners.

Mayne says her resources are being stretched thin, long before the coldest nights of winter.

“We’re out of winter coats and on Tuesday when we were out so many people were freezing and needed a winter coat and we were out, we didn’t have any,” said Mayne. Many of the homeless children were helped by Coats for Kids, but the adults were left out.

The Compassion Highway Project relies on donations to serve, and people like Brian rely on these charities to survive.

“Please give generously, we don’t need to freeze out here again, we lost a lot of friends out here due to the cold. I don’t want to lose anymore,” said Brian.

The Compassion Highway Project is looking for donations of coats, sleeping bags and contributions as little as $1. They also need a location to host their Thanksgiving Dinner which serves dozens of families throughout the community. You can help at CompassionHighwayProject.org