Point Park’s Confluence Psychology Alliance is holding a winter blanket and clothing drive event together with Operation Safety Net, a Pittsburgh-based medical outreach program. 

This is the first year that the club is doing a blanket drive kickoff. In past years, they’ve placed boxes around campus for students to donate, but decided this year to make the outreach a campus event that would encourage students to donate more than any year before. 

Co-chair of the club and junior psychology major Aidan Daughenbaugh said that Confluence’s mission is to help people realize their worth. “As people, we should feel like helping others is a regular part of life. Our duty is to provide necessary services to others.” 

Daughenbaugh said that this mindset is what fuels Confluence as an organization, and encouraged students to be open to the idea of attending the event and potentially becoming a member of the club. 

“Confluence is for anyone at Point Park who wants to come together and do things outside of school, whether that means service work or things with the community to benefit other people,” Daughenbaugh said. “We have a lot of psych majors that are involved. Really it’s just a beautiful place. No one’s really in charge. We sort of just come together and talk and debate and find ways to help people.” 

The drive is set to take place Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 1-3 p.m. in 200 Lawrence Hall and will feature interactive activities to help students de-stress between classes, Chipotle catering and music. In addition, Point Park graduate students that work directly with Operation Safety Net will be speaking on how to become more involved with the platform and will discuss their experiences with the foundation. Also, students can make blankets and mats out of plastic bags that they will then donate to assist those without homes in the Pittsburgh area. 

There will also be a station set up for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There will be boxes at the event for students to donate items, such as blankets, coats, socks, gloves, scarves, as well as a number of hygiene products including condoms, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products. For those who cannot attend the kickoff, students can drop donations off in any of the designated donation boxes found in Thayer, Lawrence and West Penn. 

Representatives from Operation Safety Net and those in association with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System and Trinity Health will be at the event to discuss the foundation’s mission and its focus on medical needs. 

According to the foundation’s website, its main priority is to take care of the medical concerns of the homeless. Additionally, they provide basic necessities such as food, water, socks, sleeping bags, coats, boots, tents and tarps. 

Point Park students, who are associated with Operation Safety Net, work alongside the staff to augment the current circumstances of Pittsburgh’s homeless individuals by possibly supplying them with a case worker, food stamps, medical assistance, rent assistance or housing. The foundation exists in multiple facets, including street outreach, a traveling medical van, a drop-in center where people can gather to get meals and connect with one another, apartments that are overseen by personnel, and severe weather emergency shelters. 

“I’m so excited to team up with Operation Safety Net. Point Park has the potential to change lives right here in Pittsburgh,” Daughenbaugh said. 

To find out more about Operation Safety Net, visit their website at www.pmhs.org/operation-safety-net. 

For additional information on becoming involved with Confluence Psychology Alliance or the blanket drive, contact Aidan Daughenbaugh at [email protected].