Wanting to put together some backpacks filled with cold weather stuff like hats gloves and a thrifted puff jacket to hand out to the Homeless in my area, what are some other inexpensive items you would recommend I put in them?
Socks, granola bars, fruit snacks, snickers, wipes, hand warmers, maybe refillable water bottles?
Hadn’t thought of wipes, thats a good addition!
There are regular wipes (like unscented baby wipes), but you can also buy more heavy duty wipes that are designed (marketed) for cleaning yourself. Just search like “no rinse sponge bath wipes” or “body wipes” and you’ll see what I mean. Might be a good idea to include both. You could probably clean your hands off with 1-2 smaller wipes and not have to use up one of the larger ones each time. Just my thoughts. Love what you’re doing!
refillable water bottles are good if there’s a local way to refill them from a clean source.
Our subway system has water fountains at alot of the stations, was gonna try and include one filled with individual flavor packets.
Flavor packets sound nice but could introduce unforeseen issues for those with dietary constraints. But that’s your choice. 
what about nut / food allergies, and those things being high sugar low nutrient items — can that cause problems with malnourishment?
Socks, especially warm ones.
Thanks! Socks had honestly slipped my mind.
Wool if possible, because it warms even when wet unlike cotton.
No doubt! Cotton kills, if i put any socks in there they will be thick and wool!
Dry socks, like a whole pack.
Tarp
Thick garbage bagsThere was a thread about this yesterday that may have some additional ideas.
Oh snap, thanks dont know how i missed that.
I’m going to borrow some other suggestions that I just read as well, but maybe a survival backpack would be really helpful?
Backpack
Blanket
Hand warmers
Small medical kit
multi-tool
flashlight
re-usable water bottle
wet wipes
Gonna put everything in backpacks i get from Thrift stores, the small medical kit is a good idea!
Nice! This is a really good thing you are doing.
In alot better place than I was a year ago, and want to pay it forward. Wish we could just tear this system down and rebuild it from the ground up to take care of people instead of our corporate overlords, but till that day I feel extremely blessed to be in a place to be able to help out like this. Even if i can only ease a few folks discomfort its better than wallowing in apathy and drinking everyday like i did for the past decade.
Hot Hands packs aren’t super expensive and would surely be enjoyed.
That’s a great idea hadnt thought of those!
Sterno. That stuff saved my life when I was homeless.
Had never heard of those, will be sure to include them!!
My tip would be to work through an organization that already does this. Stay safe.
I take the metro into the city every other week to visit museums, my plan is to take the pack and give to one of the many homeless people i see before i make it into the city every time. I doubt I will make it off the metro before handing it off. And dont worry safety never takes a holiday.
Chemical based hand warmers. They look like tough-built teabags. Get them at any Home Depot or Lowes.
Also McDonalds cheeseburgers are nice. Where I’m at, they’re buy one, get one for $1. I can get 4 of them for $8. When I was homeless, I was calorically restricted and it sucked so much. One day there was a guy handing out McDonalds cheeseburgers from a big bag, and it was the best thing.
Those things are so calorically dense and heavy.
+1 on the other commenter mentioning Hot Hands. They’re disposable and don’t last forever, but they’ll feel like a Godsend when you need them.
I’d suggest some kind of blanket. Space blankets don’t provide a lot of insulation but are great for windbreaking which makes them a great top layer over a normal fleece blanket.
I mentioned this in my other comment on one of your posts, but please consider including just a little bit of cash. Every person you meet will always have unique needs or wants that you can’t possibly be expected to account for. Even $5 can give them the agency to see to these specific needs on their own.
Was gonna put a small visa gift card, but might just use cash for convince’s sake.
Narcan
If you’re thinking of buying retail stuff to give out, it 's simpler to just give cash directly, since the recipient can figure out how to use it, and probably knows more about short cuts and bargain outlets than you do.
Someone said refillable water bottles, but really, almost all bottles are refillable. I re-use “disposable” water and soda bottles all the time.
Going to thrift most of it, will probably end up buying new socks though.
Something like the powerbank/hand warmers would have been a lifesaver when I was going through it. A powerbank that can also keep you warm. Lots of places have free usb outlets to charge devices, most homeless people have phones.
Something like this, though you may find them cheaper on ebay or such: https://www.amazon.com/NUEAYMS-Compact-Enthusiasts-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B0CSN7CK7G/
Cheap wine works wonders too
A house.
Homeless people need homes.
Boom. Homeless problem instantly solved.
Nice try, but those wont fit in backpacks.
