Santa Barbara County kicks off sleeping bag and clothing drive for unhoused now until Dec. 13

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The County of Santa Barbara kicked off its sleeping bag drive for the more than 1,850 unhoused people in the County on Friday that will run through Dec. 13.

The drive is asking for more than just sleeping bags though, new or lightly used items such as: hats, gloves, jackets, clothing, socks, shoes, hygiene products, thermal underwear, scarves, and backpacks are all sought to help those as temperatures drop.

Donations will be accepted at the Santa Barbara (1100 Anacapa St.) and Santa Maria (312-P East Cook St.) Public Defender's Offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Financial donations will also be accepted and are tax-deductible through the Public Defender's Offices' partnership with the Family Services Agency of Santa Barbara and can be submitted online here.

The County of Santa Barbara will distribute the donated items to those who need them the most on Dec. 15 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. outside of the Santa Maria Public Defender's Office and the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

Homeless outreach teams are already contacting unhoused people about the upcoming distribution event detail Santa Barbara County in a press release.

For more information, you can contact the Santa Barbara or Santa Maria Public Defender's Offices at 805-568-3470 or 805-346-7500 respectively.