The Non-Profit Will Coordinate Getting Essential Supplies To The Unhoused Of The Coachella Valley On National Hydration Day, June 23, 2024
As the summer temperatures continue to rise, one Coachella Valley organization is looking to the community to come together and help the homeless. Bridges2Hope has organized locations around the valley for the community to donate hydration supplies, which will then be distributed to the homeless.
National Hydration Day is Sunday, June 23, 2024, and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Bridges2Hope will have volunteers collecting donations of cases or gallons of bottled water, Gatorade bottles or powdered, and hydration drops or small hydration packets at the following locations:
- Little Bar, 73560 Palm Desert Drive North, Palm Desert
- Indio Taphouse, 82867 Miles Avenue, Indio
- Rancho Mirage Albertson’s Shopping Center (corner of Country Club and Monterey next to Starbucks)
The mission of Bridges2Hope is to empower homeless through building trusting relationships, by connecting individuals to resources, and providing support and guidance in order to accomplish lasting change. The volunteers conduct an outreach every Tuesday evening, providing a hot meal, clothing items, hygiene kits, and connections to other services. They have consistently provided this outreach every Tuesday for the past two years without fail. During the summer, they make rounds to encampments, providing water, Gatorade, and information about cooling centers.
“We will use donations for our Tuesday evening outreach. We also go out on days where the temps are over 105°. We drive to camps and give ice water, Gatorade, hydration packs, and fresh fruit such as watermelon and bananas. All are at risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke,” said Michele Verdugo, President & Sobriety Liaison for Bridges2Hope. “Rancho Mirage Albertson’s stepped up in a big way by donating a pallet of water, which is 78 cases! We couldn’t do what we do without the contributions from our donors and partners.” Verdugo exclaimed.
About Bridges2Hope
Founded in 2021, Bridges2Hope connects people to the community and resources by helping to bridge the gap between other non-profit organizations and county and state services. All the volunteers with Bridges2Hope have had extensive experience working with the unhoused, substance use issues, or taking the opportunity to assist those in our community.
On any given night, 653,104 people in the United States sleep on the street. California is the number one state in the country related to homelessness, with an estimated 181,399 persons, according to US News and World Report 2024. That number continues to rise year after year. In the Coachella Valley in 2023, the number of unhoused rose by three percent to an estimated 982 people.
In 2020, about 25 percent of all homeless adults had severe mental illnesses such as a psychotic disorder and schizophrenia, and 27 percent had a long-term substance use disorder (Streeter 2022). An alarming rising reason for homelessness is the lack of affordable housing.
Bridges2Hope has three programs to serve the Coachella Valley:
- PARTNERS FOR FOOD FIRST AID & HYGIENE KITS focuses on basic needs as a part of community justice, with donations accepted at Coachella Valley Pharmacy and Plan B Entertainment all through the year.
- VOLUNTEER STREET MISSION TEAMS is a team of volunteers that plans community outreach every Tuesday all year long, delivering food, clothing, and compassion from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Ramona Tire Parking lot in Palm Desert.
- COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS connect the unhoused community to other non-profit organizations to provide showers, haircuts, food, medical care, housing (including temporary and permanent housing), apartment furnishing, apartment deposits, identification facilitation, food stamps, and health insurance. They also provide transportation to doctors, dentists, and other essential appointments.
Non-profit partners that Bridges2Hope collaborates with include:
- Justice Outreach Team (JOT) for substance abuse prevention and treatment
- Volunteers in Medicine and the Eisenhower Medical Center Outreach van for medical services
- Broken Chains and Celebrate Recovery for Narcan training
- Coachella Valley Pharmacy for vaccinations
- Jewish Family Services for housing and Adult Protection Services (APS)
- Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) for housing solutions
Led by President Michele Verdugo, Vice President Jacquie McClure, Secretary Susan Veldey, Treasurer Peggy Grabow, and Board Member Joe Reed, Bridges2Hope has facilitated ten permanently housed clients and nine into substance abuse treatment.
When a client is housed, Bridges2Hope provides the apartment deposit and necessities, such as a mattress and food, and teaches clients how to budget. They provide clients entering treatment with a backpack of toiletries and personal items. Volunteers offer transportation and bus passes for appointments.
Except for the storage unit cost, all donations go directly back into the community to provide services for their clients. For more information, visit www.thebridges2hope.com.
