Meet Linda Greenberg
From a single act of kindness twenty years ago has emerged the organized tradition of Giving Back. Linda Greenberg, resident of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County (Maryland) once gave a homeless person her hat, simply because that person needed one. From that moment, Linda has dedicated herself to doing whatever she can to bring comfort and kindness to the homeless.
The focal point of her efforts has been the Holiday Help the Homeless Drive, held each December. What began as one truck loaded with donated items for the homeless, has steadily expanded to the point where, in 2003, 17 fully loaded trucks delivered food, clothes and personal articles needed for survival on the streets. The beneficiaries of this effort are reached through approximately two dozen shelters, some in Anne Arundel County, most in the inner city of Baltimore. The list of people being helped includes men, women with small children, recently-released prisoners, veterans and those with no distinction other than having no home of any kind.
This entire operation is supported and executed by volunteers. Linda and many others personally visit dozens of local civic groups, clubs, scout troops and church communities, asking them to take on the task of raising funds and purchasing new items for the drive. The trucks are donated or rented with donated funds. By the time it’s completed, at least 500 volunteers will have contributed their time, money and talents to make this collective act of kindness a success.
In addition to receiving the private donations, last year we focused the organizations running drives to the assembly of our 'backpack' program. We collected nearly 700 backpacks last year, and each one was filled with new thermal underwear, new sweatshirt and pants, new warm socks, new hat and gloves, and either a new sleeping bag or a new blanket. After delivering goods to the shelters all day, we go out with 3-4 trucks and go directly to the men, women and children on the street with these backpacks. This has been an extremely successful program for us, and one we will repeat and expand in 2004.
The volunteers of Giving Back have proven to be reliable, thorough planners and true to their word. Please give thought to participating in some way on this worthwhile project.