New hygiene products were requested and received across ten Old National Bank locations in Evansville and through an online wishlist.
The donation drive was in partnership with Old National Bank’s Military Veteran Impact Network. Items will be given out by the Volunteers of America (VOA.)
Julie Freyberger is VOA program coordinator for Supportive Services for Veteran Families. She said most of their client programs are geared toward the homeless — and one in five homeless adults is a veteran.
“… many of them are living on the street,” she said. “They don’t have anything — they literally have the clothes on their back. So they need these items obviously for hygiene. Some are just staying with other people; they don’t have the funds to purchase these items. ”
She said the organization has touched nearly 11,000 people each year across Ohio and Indiana.
Freyberger said they also received a large single donation from their online wishlist.
“It was a huge box — I don’t know exactly how many items — there was tons of socks … toiletries, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste.”
She said that veterans can come directly to the VOA to get these items and that items will be given out at the organization's events throughout the year.
Such donations drives are not done every year; other partnering organizations of the past includes Ascension St. Vincent.