{"id":5344,"date":"2026-02-27T10:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/?p=5344"},"modified":"2026-03-05T09:57:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:57:36","slug":"winter-donation-drive-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/2026\/02\/27\/winter-donation-drive-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Together for Good: Our Winter Donation Drive Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"metaslider-id-5346\" style=\"width: 100%;\" class=\"ml-slider-3-80-0 ml-slider-pro-2-36-0 metaslider metaslider-flex metaslider-5346 ml-slider ms-theme-default\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"Slideshow\" aria-label=\"Winter Donation Drive 2026\">\n    <div id=\"metaslider_container_5346\">\n        <div id=\"metaslider_5346\">\n            <ul class='slides'>\n                <li style=\"display: block; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5356 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5356\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5356\" alt=\"Jini Korcz and Jim Barrett holding donated clothing\" rel=\"\" title=\"PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 84.358523725835%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-BARRETT-01073-scaled-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5357 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5357\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5357\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 84.358523725835%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01009-scaled-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5358 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5358\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5358\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 84.358523725835%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01014-scaled-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5359 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5359\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5359\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 84.358523725835%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-272x182.jpg 272w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/PHS-Donataion-Drive-Admin-01029-scaled-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5360 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5360\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5360\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"Image (2)\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 42.1875%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-2-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5361 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5361\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5361\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"Image (3)\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 42.1875%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-3-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5362 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5362\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5362\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"Image (4)\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 42.1875%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-4-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5363 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5363\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-scaled.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5363\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"Image (5)\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 42.1875%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-5364 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"slide-5364\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1179\" height=\"1460\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image.jpg\" class=\"slider-5346 slide-5364\" alt=\"\" rel=\"\" title=\"Image\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; width: 45.423801369863%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image.jpg 1179w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-242x300.jpg 242w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-827x1024.jpg 827w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/232\/2026\/02\/Image-768x951.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px\" \/><\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>This year\u2019s Winter Donation Drive was a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community comes together with generosity and heart. Thanks to the kindness of so many supporters, we were able to collect an incredible <strong>602 donated items. <\/strong>This includes of a mix of clothing, food, and essential hygiene products that will make a meaningful difference for individuals and families facing hardship this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to these items, we also received <strong>29 fast\u2011food gift cards<\/strong> and <strong>30 all\u2011day bus passes<\/strong>, both of which provide immediate, practical support for people navigating daily challenges. These contributions help ensure that our neighbors not only stay warm, but also have access to meals and transportation when they need it most.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Our team has already begun distributing the donations. Some of the items were delivered to the <strong>Center Church warming shelter<\/strong>, where they\u2019ll be put to use right away during the coldest months of the year. We also shared the gift cards with <strong>Officer Jim Barrett<\/strong>, who works closely with community members in need and will help get these resources into the right hands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And we\u2019re not done yet. Next week, we\u2019ll be making another delivery, this time to <strong>Hands On Hartford<\/strong>, an organization that continues to be a vital partner in supporting local residents. We\u2019re excited to keep the momentum going and extend the impact of your generosity even further.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Every donation, every share, and every act of support helped make this drive a success. We\u2019re grateful for everyone who contributed and for the ongoing commitment of our community to show up for one another. Together, we\u2019re proving that small acts of kindness can create big waves of change.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year\u2019s Winter Donation Drive was a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community comes together with generosity and heart. Thanks to the kindness of so many supporters, we were able to collect an incredible 602 donated items. This includes of a mix of clothing, food, and essential hygiene products that will make [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3717,"featured_media":5347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-04 16:43:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3717"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5365,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344\/revisions\/5365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/public-health-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}