The Homeless

“The greatest disease…is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for… the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love…”
—Sister Theresa

The Caring Coins have been a symbol of caring, connection and hope from the very beginning when Salley Gibney shared them randomly in Vermont, then with the You Are Never Alone Foundation(YANAF) in Vermont and now as Salley and many others share Caring Coins with friends at the Food Pantry at St. Raymond’s Church and the Food Truck at St. Patrick’s Church in Providence along with many others along the way…

Join Us…

Caring Coins for the Homeless…

“Someone cares about me, I must matter…”

When Salley and her You Are Never Alone Foundation joined with Chris Oldham, Director of the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless and Joseph Wooten, musician and Keyboardist for the Steve Miller Band, a Program called “Caring Blankets for the Homeless” was initiated which invited individuals to sponsor a woolen blanket with the words “I Matter, You Matter” and a Caring Coin attached to a card with the name of someone who cared for a homeless person. The I MATTER, YOU MATTER message reminded each person that they did matter.

Schools, churches, organizations, businesses and individuals joined in sponsoring 500 woolen blankets for the homeless in Vermont with the I Matter, You Matter logo on it. Each blanket had a Caring Coin and the card with the name of the person who sponsored the blanket to remind the person receiving the blanket that someone really did care about them as seen in the words of one recipient: “Someone cares about me, I must matter…”

The entire Community came together…

Schools, churches, businesses and individuals in Vermont participated in this amazing cause. There was a huge Music Event with Joseph Wooten and local bands performing to support the homeless children and adults in our community.

Along with many others, The Fourth Grade class at Mettowee Community School raised $800 for the Homeless by selling flower and vegetable seeds and the Shaftsbury School’s project made the homeless their focus with Penny wars, couch searches and read-a-thons as ways of upping the ante to raise funds to purchase wooden coins to give to those who had been displaced from their homes due to a variety of reasons. Barre High School Students created programs to raise money and then participated in sharing the I Matter, You Matter blankets and Caring Coins at the Shelter in Barre, VT.

500 I MATTER, YOU MATTER Caring Blankets were shared with Bennington Coalition for the Homeless:

“Words cannot express the looks on the faces of the children and the adults when they receive the woolen blankets. Many have never owned a blanket of their own. They especially love the Caring Coins. The words Thank you do not seem enough.”

PAVE (Project Against Violent Encounters) in Bennington:

“Thank you Everyone, for making this come together to keep people warm as things (soon) get colder.”

VT Veterans Outreach and Family Resource Center, Bennington:

“This is a place where veterans and their families can come for support, help, and conversation, whatever they need. Some of these guys are living under the bridges. Now we have Caring Blankets to keep them warm and the Caring Coins remind them that they matter.”

VT Groundworks Collaborative in Brattleboro, VT:

“We are very grateful for the Caring Blankets and the Caring Coins and much appreciate the support! The Seasonal Overflow Shelter, which provides a warm place to sleep and a hot meal each night for those experiencing homelessness in our community, opens in November and closes at the end of April. Last year the shelter served over 200 unique individuals with an average of 25 individuals per night – with 41 being the most served on any given night. This is a low barrier shelter, meaning sobriety is not a prerequisite for services.”

Good Samaritan Haven, Barre, Vermont:

“The shelter Guests couldn’t get enough of talking about how great it was for people to care so much about the homeless. Your visit, the blankets and the Caring Coins are much appreciated. Especially the coins to remind us of your caring. Many blessings!”