The association is partnering with CLN Kids, a preschool that assists homeless children and their families, to provide about 100 costumes just in time for trick-or-treating.
This is the fifth year of the drive, and in previous years the highest number of donations was 80 costumes, said Matthew Maez, chair of Community Service Committee for Young Alumni Association.
Maez said the association benefits from the drive because it helps them understand that homelessness affects not only adults, but children and families as well. The project is a chance for the young alumni to give back to the community, he said.
“It’s not just people who maybe have made bad decisions in their lives or have an addiction problem,” Maez said. “A lot of times, it’s people who have really unfortunate circumstances or have experienced domestic violence and don’t have anywhere else to go, and (the drive) helps them think about this issue in a different way.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 1,033 homeless families in New Mexico in 2013. There were also an estimated 403 unaccompanied homeless children and youths.
“It benefits the parents of the children because it’s one less thing on their plate that they have to stress about,” Maez said. “And it’s such a stressful situation to be in. Certainly, if it’s a choice between paying for food that week or finding shelter that week versus Halloween costumes, that’s certainly going to fall to the wayside.”
Angela Merkert, CLN Kids’ executive director, said the preschool serves children from the age of 6 weeks old to 5 years.
“These parents when they come to us are very low-income,” Merkert said. “So this helps (the children) to be able to have some sense of normalcy and be able to enjoy and have fun with the rest of kids that are out there trick-or-treating.”
On Halloween, after receiving their costumes, the children will either go back to the shelter and celebrate or go to the nearby community center, she said.
Maez said the drive is also an opportunity for social networking for the Young Alumni Association.
On Friday, the group met with speakers from CLN Kids at Hotel Park Central, and most of the costumes were donated at the event, he said.
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The Young Alumni Association includes graduates from the last 10 to 15 years. The association has three committees: social networking, community service and professional development, he said.
The association has also helped Albuquerque Public Schools, Albuquerque Wilderness Federation, New Mexico Special Olympics and the Presbyterian Hospice Foundation, he said.
Lauren Marvin is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
