Warm Winter Gloves for the Homeless Bros, aka HoBros.

So, after my article about the battery heated earmuffs, a bunch of irl friends who read my Steemit blog came to me asking "Can you add heating capability to X or Y?" One of them has a wife with circulatory issues, another has a knee injury that gets worse in the cold.

So I bought a bunch of USB heated gloves to harvest the heating elements from, which I can then add to whatever they want heated. In the process I realized what a waste it would be to simply throw out the leftover gloves when somebody out there with cold hands and no permanent shelter could get some good use out of them.

They're well made, one size fits all and the mitten style tips fold out of the way to reveal cutoffs so you can still do fine motor skills type stuff without taking the gloves fully off your hands. Not too shabby!

It occurred to me that if I distribute these on a wet, rainy day, they are liable to become soaked. So I folded them up in pairs, then tucked them into ziplock sandwich bags to keep water off them while not in use.

Then I thought about times I meant to give out those thermal bivvy sacks I wrote about last year. Often I would encounter a homeless person but happen to not have the bivvy sacks on me. Or I would remember to carry them with me, but not happen to encounter any homeless people on that particular day.

First things first, gotta carry one in my pocket. If I'm outside on foot or bicycle I'm always wearing this jacket, so I'll be sure to have at least one pair of gloves to give out. I can then replenish them as needed.

Next up, gotta put one in my backpack as well. I often wear my backpack while I'm out cycling, and the parks I cycle in very frequently have one or more homeless people relaxing on cardboard they spread out to insulate them from the ground.

But sometimes I cycle without my backpack. What do I do then? Probably I have my jacket on. But what if I've given out that pair of gloves already? So I stashed a pair in the critter carrier, next to my smog mask and the padding cloth.

Lastly, one has to go in the glove box of the STEEM Mobile as I don't often wear my heated jacket while driving, but I do often see panhandlers at the side of the road near intersections, or concrete islands by stop signs/lights. I can't very well get out of the car to hand them change, but this is safe enough to toss their way given how soft it is.

I would be ashamed if I had nothing at all to give them, in light of my blessings. Gloves won't fix their lives, but no one person has to do everything. If everybody does a little, it will be more than enough. As ever, the actual lasting solution is the Housing First movement, which you should look for a way to vote in support of wherever it is that you live.

That's all for this time! Keep on Steeming, but don't forget those less fortunate than yourselves this Winter!

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^{...and Stay Cozy!}