Katie Aguirre is working to help the homeless population who are facing this winter without shelter.

Six years ago in December Aguirre stopped in Sonora at a Starbucks and it was snowing. She noticed a man sitting outside in the cold with a thin jacket.

As she started to leave, she suddenly remembered the man sitting outside. She rolled down her window to wave goodbye and wish him a Merry Christmas.

He waved back smiling and then came over to the car. He hesitated and then asked if she would happen to have an old blanket. He said the night before he had slept outside on a piece of cardboard with newspapers over him to try and stay warm.

Aguirre was sorry she didn't have an old blanket, but then suddenly remembered something much better -- she had a sleeping bag in her trunk!  When she handed it to him, he started to cry. He said she would never know how much this meant to him. Tonight he would not be lying in the cold shivering on a piece of cardboard with newspapers draped over him. Instead he would be snug and warm inside the sleeping bag.

As she pulled away in the parking lot he stood there until she couldn’t see him anymore, clutching the sleeping bag to his chest while snow fell all around him. Aguirre never forgot this man and the impact a sleeping bag made on his life. It could literally make the difference between life and death for a homeless person exposed to the bitter elements of winter.

Since then, for the past six years,  Operation Warmth and Aguirre have gathered and given away hundreds of sleeping bags and tents for the homeless in Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne Counties and in Sacramento where so many homeless live on the street.

If you have an extra sleeping bag or tent to donate, you could make a big difference in the life of a homeless person. One-hundred percent of donations will go directly to the homeless. Any donations can be dropped off Monday – Friday from  8:30 am to 3:30 pm., at the Arc of Amador located at 75 Academy Way, Sutter Creek.

For more information or to arrange your donation, please call 209-267-5978, 209-267-5978, call Katie at 209-267-5262 or e-mail [email protected] . Sleeping bags and tents do not have to be new.

Mother Theresa once said, "We may not be able to do great things; but we can do little things with great love."

Post information and picture courtesy of Operation Warmth.