No One Left Behind: Winter Emergency Fund

When the temperature plummets in Central Illinois, a winter night outside can be the difference between life and death. For our unhoused neighbors, frigid weather brings not only discomfort, but a constant fight to stay alive. While many of us are able to turn up the heat, wrap ourselves in blankets, and close the door to the cold — thousands of individuals and families in our community don’t have that option.

The No One Left Behind Winter Emergency Fund exists to change that. This campaign fuels our on-the-ground emergency outreach teams, who work throughout the winter months to deliver life-saving supplies directly to people where they are — in encampments, under bridges, at bus stations, and along the streets of Central Illinois.

Your support powers:

• 🧤 Thermal blankets, gloves, socks, and hand warmers for immediate warmth

• 🥫 Emergency food kits with shelf-stable, ready-to-eat meals for survival in freezing conditions

• 🧼 Hygiene kits with essential supplies to maintain dignity and prevent illness

• 🏨 Emergency motel placements for those facing severe weather exposure, mobility issues, or acute crises

• 🚗 Transportation assistance to help people get to shelters, warming centers, or safe temporary lodging

This isn’t charity — it’s community care in action. Our volunteers and partners work in the cold, often late at night, because that’s when people need us most. We respond to weather alerts, community calls, and direct outreach requests in real time.

Each donation makes an immediate impact:

• $10 provides one emergency blanket

• $25 covers a full food and hygiene kit

• $50 outfits someone with a winter emergency bundle (blanket, warm clothing, hand warmers, and food)

• $100 funds an emergency motel night for a vulnerable neighbor

   

Every dollar goes directly toward keeping people safe, warm, and alive.

This winter, we refuse to accept that anyone should be left behind simply because they have nowhere to go. With your help, we can expand our outreach routes, stock more emergency supplies, and respond faster when the temperatures drop.

💙 Join us in standing between the cold and our neighbors. Donate today — share this campaign — and help make sure that no one is left behind this winter.