APSO donates winter clothing to Jessie’s Place to assist those in need
As temperatures across Alabama continue to fall this winter, volunteers from the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) donated a truckload of coats and other winter clothing for those in need at Jessie’s Place in Birmingham.
Jessie’s Place, a part of Jimmie Hale Mission, serves women and children of Birmingham. Opened in 1998, the organization serves as a refuge of peace and restoration where women and their children can find respite from life’s struggles. The organization also serves as a warming station for the city and has been used this winter as the cold temperatures have swept across the state.
On Wednesday night, Jimmie Hale Mission Executive Director Perryn Carroll spent the night outside in downtown Birmingham as part of the mission’s Perryn: Out in the Open event. Carroll began the night with no tent, blanket or shelter — experiencing the frigid evening as homeless individuals do every night. The event was centered around raising awareness of the conditions that those in need experience while kicking off a $4 million fundraising effort to construct a new facility aimed at expanding the shelter’s capacity.
“We were so inspired and encouraged by the generosity of the Alabama Power employees in donating for the winter clothing drive,” Carroll said the next day. “These many gifts were immediately put to good use yesterday evening when more than 100 guests sought refuge in our warming station last night. Arriving wet and freezing, we were able to improve their circumstances with dry, warm clothes, along with the warm welcome, warm food and safe, warm place to sleep they received in the warming station.”
The Alabama Power Service Organization is an organization of Alabama Power employees active in serving their communities. Across its nine chapters and more than 6,300 members, APSO volunteers contribute thousands of hours of service to more than 200 nonprofits. The donation of winter clothes is just the latest act of service that the organization is conducting this winter.
“When we think about winter weather for most of us, for me and you, we might be uncomfortable, maybe a little cold,” said Staci Brooks, Alabama Power’s vice president of Charitable Giving. “But for our friends and neighbors who don’t have safe shelter, it’s dangerous, and it can be unsafe. We hope that those things will provide some comfort to people who need it.”
To learn more about Jimmie Hale Mission and Jessie’s Place, you can visit their website at jimmiehalemission.com. If you would like to know more about APSO and the Alabama Power Foundation, visit powerofgood.com.
