A winter giveaway: Peninsula man’s family planning Christmas giveaway to homeless

In that spirit, Redwood City resident Uribe, family members and friends of Brandon Wesson will spend Christmas Day doling out hoodies, socks, sleeping bags and other basic necessities to homeless individuals throughout the Peninsula. The group of eight is currently using a crowdsourcing site to raise funds for purchasing goods and connecting with businesses to buy at wholesale to stretch each dollar.

The Wesson Winter Giveaway honors Wesson, 23, when he died unexpectedly in London last month, and Uribe said provides a therapeutic reprieve for those who loved him.

“I’m really excited about this,” Uribe said. “I was really dreading this Christmas.”

The GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $7,000 as of Wednesday and Uribe is keeping her fingers crossed for at least $10,000 to provide as many goods as they can. The team has five trucks committed and she’s willing to rent a U-Haul or van, too, if necessary.

She’s thinking water, toiletry kits and rain ponchos — not the thin ones but the thicker versions with fleece lining. There may also be food like sandwiches but Uribe said the goal is giving away items the needy might not otherwise receive from a soup kitchen or shelter.

The Christmas event actually grew from an idea Brandon himself had before he died.

In August, while home on a visit from London where he’d lived the last three years, Wesson told a close friend he planned to come back in March and distribute food and 100 sandwiches to the homeless.

Wesson, his mother remembered, saw a significant amount of homeless people in London and even as a child was struck by the so-called “T-shirt” lady known around San Mateo who would randomly walk through his playground at St. Catherine’s school in Burlingame.

“He was always sympathetic,” Uribe said.

After Wesson’s death, his friend Steve told Uribe about his plan and suggested they follow through and move the date up to Christmas. Uribe was on board, as is his stepfather and sister who is flying in from Ohio that day and heading straight from the airport to distribute with the others. Other friends also contributed time and money. Uribe is impressed with where the team has gotten so far but said any other assistance is greatly appreciated especially to make this an annual tradition.

Christmas participants will wear T-shirts bearing a photo of Wesson walking through London draped in an American flag during the Olympics. The shirts will bear the words “You’re welcome” and “Wesson Winter Giveaway 2014.”

“I’m really hoping we’ll have T-shirts too that say 2015, 2016 and beyond,” she said.

To donate visit http://www.gofundme.com/ipce10

michelle@smdailyjournal.com

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