PRESS RELEASE

City of Porterville                                                                                          
291 N. Main Street
Porterville, CA 93257

For more information contact:
Yuriko Velarde, Administrative Analyst
yvelarde@ci.porterville.ca.us

November 3, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANNUAL WINTER COAT GIVEAWAY AT THE PORTERVILLE WELCOME CENTER

The 2022 Annual Winter Coat Giveaway was held November 2, 2022, by the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance (KTHA), Local Initiatives Navigation Center (LINC) and in partnership with, Turning Point of Central California Inc. and the City of Porterville, who have been working together to find solutions to address homelessness in Porterville.

Volunteers with the Porterville LINC Committee successfully helped 124 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness in Porterville with, coats, shoes, mittens, hygiene kits, pet supplies, haircuts, optometry and Covid/Flu vaccines.  Service providers such as Tulare County MDT Team, Kings View PATH program, Trinity Lutheran Church book exchange, Central California Family Crisis Center, Porterville Employment Connection, Family Health Care Network, and Love Inc. were present to offer assistance and referrals.

The community came together to make this event possible through monetary and tangible donations from many community members and businesses such as JR Meat Co., Town and Country Market, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Grocery Outlet, Chaguito’s and Smee Homes Inc.  Monetary and hygiene items are accepted all year by KTHA for outreach efforts and to support the Porterville LINC committee in bringing additional services to the community.

The event took place at the Porterville Welcome Center, which provides housing, case management and referrals to services and resources that help individuals experiencing homelessness. Councilmember Lawana Tate, a LINC committee member, stated that she, “felt gratified knowing that individuals without shelter, felt warmth and comfort as a result of our efforts.” She expressed her “appreciation to the public for their contributions and all of those involved with the hard work and sincere commitment to the project.”