I’m already tired of winter and it hasn’t really started yet.

A couple of cold days and I quickly folded and put away all my summer clothes and set a box of sweat pants and sweaters out where I could easily reach them. The list of things I was going to accomplish during the summer has now become a fall “must do” list and I am wondering how much oil, if any, is in the tank.

There is always this hurry-up scurrying around as the seasons change. My snow-bird friends are beginning to talk anxiously about leaving and the Farmers Almanac has already been quoted in national headlines.

In view of the continually lagging economy and the never-ending high prices of everything, I’m concerned about things like kids going without warm jackets and older people who are still trying to live on $500 a month when the cost of bare essentials (like heat) climb out of sight. Some folks are planning a tremendous vacation to another country; some are trying to remember where the extra blankets are, or if there are extra blankets.

I’ll be checking out one of our local resources this week, the Clothes Closet, to see what they are in need of. This resource offers gently used clothing for all ages, free of charge. It operates totally by volunteers and is located in the same building as the Food Pantry and Human Resources, adjacent to the Public Safety Building.

During my packing and unpacking for the cool weather, I managed to fill a few boxes with clothing I no longer need (and some of which is too big now that I’ve been physically downsized). I will be taking it over to the Clothes Closet, along with some jackets and coats which I haven’t worn for a couple of years and probably will never wear! Someone can use them, I’m sure.

I hope that when you are cleaning out your closets, putting away the new school clothes for your children, you will consider donating the outgrown things. Never mind the yard sale you could have next year. There truly are families in town who already go without. Let’s share what we have. Limited income means just that – limited to essentials like rent and food. Often there is no budget for new clothing.

While you’re about it, collect up those cans and boxes of food you bought on sale and might not really need. You can take those to the Food Pantry, in the same building with the Clothes Closet. I’m going to find out what else they might need and will be reporting on this soon.

See you next week.

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