Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Abrahamson
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 2//22/2017
The Highground Collects for Homeless Veterans (Winter Items - 2017)
The Highground Collects Winter Items for Homeless Veterans
June Abrahamson, the Learning Center Coordinator at The Highground, packs up winter clothing as part of Wisconsin Tourism’s “Big Bundle Up” campaign. The Highground donated over 1,200 items to homeless veteran shelters for distribution to veterans. (Contributed photo)
As cold temperatures sweep through the state, Wisconsin residents came together to donate warm winter items to those in need as part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s sixth annual “Big Bundle Up” campaign.
A record-breaking 31,697 winter clothing items, including hats, mittens, scarves, coats, and snow pants, were donated to charities through Wisconsin. The campaign has totaled more than 103,400 donated items since 2011.
The Highground Veterans park near Neillsville gathered items for this project, donating well over 1,200 items to homeless veteran shelters for distribution.
The Big Bundle Up stemmed from the 2011 “Great Lakes Mitten Campaign,” and has grown into an annual tradition inviting the public to donate new and gently used winter items to participating Travel Wisconsin Welcome Centers, chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus and local businesses.
After the completion of the campaign Jan. 2, tourism partners donated the collected items to local charitable organizations and shelters. This year’s total of 31,697 winter items equaled nearly half of the campaign’s five-year total of 71,800.
Wisconsin leaders and businesses also did their part to help keep the state warm this winter.
The campaign has grown to draw corporate donations, including an annual donation from Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Knitwear. The company donated 3,000 hats this year, an increase from last year’s donation of 2,000. The campaign also received 5,100 hats from an anonymous private business.
