Belmont, NY – As its 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service project, the Allegany County Democratic Committee (ACDC) is proud to announce its partnership with the Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (ACASA) to help provide vital support for unhoused individuals in the county. Together, these organizations are collecting winter essentials to address the needs of those facing harsh conditions.

Observed each year on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King and improve their communities.

“Our members recently attended a forum on poverty in Allegany County, which reinforced that low wealth and homelessness often go hand-in-hand,” said Karen Ash, ACDC Chair. “The local statistics are eye-opening. We hope our collaboration with ACASA will help shine a light on this issue and cause government leaders to devote attention and resources toward finding actionable solutions.”

A donation drive is underway to gather high-priority items, which include:

• Sweatpants and sweatshirts (L & XL preferred)
• Long winter underwear
• Winter socks
• Waterproof warm gloves
• Hats and scarves
• Hand and foot warmers
• Gatorade packets
• Cheese & cracker packets
• Aquaphor
• Blistex SPF 15
• Deodorant
• Hairbrushes
• Ouchless Hair Elastics
• Listerine (alcohol-free)
• Wet Ones

The drive runs through January 17, 2025 and the collected items will be delivered on Monday, January 20^th, the national holiday.   ACDC invites everyone to contribute, to help ensure no one faces winter without essential goods.  Donation boxes are in place at the following seven locations:

Alfred:                  Alumni Hall at Alfred University; Box of Books Library; Union University Church Center

Belmont:              Genesee Valley Central School

Canaseraga:        American Legion Fawcett Post 1582

Fillmore:              Wide Awake Club Library

Wellsville:           David A. Howe Library

Cassi Stives, CRPA and Street Outreach and Engagement for ACASA, said, “Winter is a hard time for our population in general, but the unhoused folks struggle more than most! This drive is a huge blessing.”

The Allegany County Democratic Committee is the official governing body for the County Party, working toward broader representation by Democrats at the local, state, and national levels.  To learn more, visit www.acdcny.org, or contact us at 585-610-4321, info@acdcny.org, or on Facebook (  facebook.com/alleganycodems ), Threads  (  threads.net/@allegany_ny_dems  ), or Bluesky  ( @allegany-ny-dems.bsky.social )                                                                                   #  #  #