The Rent Project’s coat drive prompts Spartans to make a change.
Artwork by Rebecca Holt
Starting this week, the cast of Rent: School Edition will begin the task of collecting warm clothing for the homeless. During lunch, several representatives will be in front of the main office collecting hats, coats, sweaters and gloves from students and teachers who have old winter clothes to spare.
The clothes will then be delivered to the Denver Rescue Mission and given to those in need. This will serve to keep many people who are living on the street warm, as the weather gets colder. “There’s only a limited number of places where homeless people can get warm clothing, and as the economy has worsened, I think there’s more of a demand on that,” said Michael Palmieri, Director of The Rent Project. “Our hope is that we can get all of TJ to bring in clean, useable winter clothes.”
This is just a further example of the work the members of the Rent Project are doing to help their community. “A team of our people volunteered at Children’s Hospital this summer, to do arts and crafts, different activities, and to bring a smile, a warm heart and a little love into the children’s lives. We also go to The Denver Rescue Mission regularly and we help prepare and serve dinner to homeless. Some of us fundraised and all of us walked in solidarity with people who are struggling with HIV and AIDS at The Colorado AIDS walk,” said Palmieri.
The coat drive is just another of the team’s charitable efforts. Members are still volunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission’s soup kitchen and with HIVCarelink, a nonprofit organization that works to help people with AIDS do housework and other important tasks that they can no longer do, as a result of their disease. “There are a lot of people who are in unfortunate circumstances. The government isn’t going to do it all, and can’t do it all, but if everybody does something, just a little something, if everybody in America has a little bit of time to invest, does something, whether it’s helping the homeless like we’re doing, or helping at Children’s Hospital, together, we think we can make this a better world,” said Palmieri, who seeks to accomplish Gandhi’s quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“I think we plan to accomplish a couple of things. One, we really believe that if we want to affect change in the world, we have to change our hearts first. So, we have to lead by example, and soften our hearts to marginalized people in the world, people who are suffering homelessness or disease. Once our hearts are softened, I think we can do a better job of helping bring that kind of heart to the TJ community and beyond, and also do a better job of portraying those people onstage in the show in March,” said Palmieri, who also believes that helping the homeless has its benefits for those who are doing the helping as well. “With all of us, sometimes we think it’s all about us. But, as we do unselfish acts, and start to serve other people, whether you believe in what goes around comes around, karma, or sowing and reaping, I think it’ll come back and bless us in our lives in many different ways.”
If you have winter clothes you would like to donate, you can bring them to Palmieri’s room, 238, the choir room, 143, or to the Rent Project’s representatives who will be in front of the main office every day at lunch.
