Warm Hearts drive aids homeless shelters

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

For its second year, Columbia Bank is helping keep the holidays warm for local homeless individuals.

Launched last week, the drive is collecting donations of both cash and winter attire through Columbia Bank locations across Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The donations will then be funneled to homeless shelters located in the same donation locations. According to bank spokesperson Olivia Gust, Warm Hearts raised over $157,000 and nearly 12,000 items for 53 Northwest homeless shelters last year.

To participate, simply drop off donations to Columbia Bank before Dec. 31. The contribution will help address a growing homelessness problem in Idaho. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Northwest has increased six percent since 2015, and 42 percentof the homeless population in Idaho is considered chronic.