WHO

For some, the holiday season is a time of celebration; a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones. But, for those individuals that are without a home or a safe and warm place to reside, the holiday season can seem more arduous than joyous.

WHY

At the turn of the century, I moved to New York and found myself without an apartment. On the evening of September 10th, 2001, having nowhere in particular to be, I came to be resting on a bench beneath Tower 2 of The World Trade Center; gazing up the side of the building and off into space, never knowing that it would be the last time that I would visit the Twin Towers. 2001 was a year of many firsts for me; as it turns out, my first time living in New York was also my first time living without an apartment or home. Over the following nine months, I found myself in places I would not have considered being in, associating with people I would likely, never had known and having done things that would probably be best left forgotten (but are not).

During this time I began compiling a list of things that I thought essential to maintaining some semblance of normalcy while adapting to my new set of circumstances. I had planned to put these items together into a kit and distribute them amongst my new circle of acquaintances. However, the realization that each of these packs would cost roughly a hundred dollars to assemble quickly put that thought on extended hiatus.

WHERE

Although the inspiration for the production of these packs came from my experiences in New York, I will begin distribution of them in Boston, where quite honestly it is much more difficult to be without a place to stay. In New York, for 24 hours a day, it is possible to ride the trains across four boroughs and take a restroom equipped ferry over to the fifth. Bostonites have no such late-night respite from the elements or recourse for relief.