IN A COLD ECONOMIC CLIMATE, A WARM GIFT

Braeger Group Donates Clothes to Hope House as Temperatures Plunge

By Michael Horne

Ken Schmidt, Executive Director of Hope House, 209 W. Orchard St.
examines a donation of clothing made Wednesday by
Braeger Automotive Group as a visitor looks on.

Todd Reardon, the president of Braeger Automotive Group called Tuesday, January 13th, 2009, with a request.
Could I help him round up some new winter clothing as a donation to the needy? And could we get in their hands, and on their backs and feet before the thermometer dropped below zero?
Sure, business was lousy, Reardon said, but not so bad that his company could not continue with the sort of charitable act it had quietly undertaken for eight decades in Milwaukee.
This time, uncharacteristically, Reardon sought publicity for his act. Maybe it would spur others to give what they could. And it would send a message that Braeger is still in business despite the woes of Detroit. Recent moves by automakers to eliminate core dealer financing programs seem to ensure a shakeout in the retail automobile market. There is much uncertainty in the marketplace, and Reardon sought to assure the community about his continuity by pledging his resources to the public good. Braeger intends to stay, he said.

The recipient of the clothing would be Hope House, a south side residential and community service organization established in 1987. Ken Schmidt, its director, said durable, new winter clothing would be a most welcome gift for the folks he works with. "You'd be amazed how many people come in here just wearing a light jacket this time of year," he said.
Working with a budget provided by Reardon, I called Paul Johnson, co-owner of the venerable Army & Navy Surplus Sales Store at 707 W. Wisconsin Avenue, and asked him to provide a list of various new warm clothing he had on hand. Despite the "Surplus" in its name, the store's focus is a wide variety of quality new civilian clothing, geared toward the warm, comfortable and practical. If it happens to be considered fashionable in some circles, so much the better, but that is not the point. I had worked with the store in the past, when it donated surplus inventory to another worthy cause.
Johnson came back with a sizable list of items. It seemed like such a good deal I told him to double the order; Braeger would send a truck by Wednesday morning to pick it up.
"Good," Johnson said. The clothing was taking up all the space in his back room.
Wednesday dawned cloudy and cold -- but still some 25 degrees above the temperature expected for Thursday. The weather dominated all news outlets that day; accident reports were pouring in by the score. One reporter, sent to cover traffic conditions was himself involved in a collision. A truck full of salt overturned on the freeway, closing it down.
Even so, Channel 58 sent a photographer, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dispatched veteran photographer Jack Orton to record the receipt of the donation. [Orton's photograph appears on page B2 of the print edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today.]
At noon a train of Hope House shopping carts filed out the front door of the building to bring in the bounty. They overflowed with a score of sturdy winter coats with hoods (retail value $79.95 each), insulated underwear, socks, long johns, quilted shirts, gloves and other warm items, all brand new, with their original tags.
As the goods were brought to a room in the facility, Schmidt, the director, told Reardon and others about his organization. It provides health care, pantry services, training, emergency shelter and respite help to the community. A rainbow-hued sticker on the door of the building, at 209 W. Orchard St. identifies it as a safe spot for homeless gay youth. There are ten apartments above housing intact families. There are dormitories for men and women as well.
Still, the place didn't seem very busy, for a shelter on one of the coldest days of the year.
"That's because most people are still at their jobs," Schmidt said. A large number of his client base consists of the working poor, a class of folks whose paycheck might not leave room for such luxuries as $79.95 winter coats, or $2 per dozen eggs, for that matter.
The timing of the delivery could not have been better, Schmidt said in a telephone interview Thursday. Nearly all of the items had been distributed to residents and clients of the facility, with a few held in reserve. However, he said the need continues, and his organization is always ready to accept donations both large and small.
If you would care to make a cash or in-kind donation to Hope House, contact Ken Schmidt at 1 414 645-2122