Warm the Streets 2026
A blanket, socks and water in hand, and a path to a job and a home behind it. Two outreach service days in South Los Angeles, December 12 and the MLK Day of Service, January 18, and a Housing & Workforce resource fair in February 2027.
The blanket starts the relationship. The services change the life.
A Step to Freedom is a nonprofit focused on economic mobility, through housing placement and workforce development. Warm the Streets is where that work begins: each winter our volunteers and partner organizations walk blankets, socks and water out to our neighbors living on the street. The package is how someone meets ASF. The job and the home are how they leave.
The Season
Two service days. One resource fair. One pathway.
Saturday, December 12 at Darby Park in Inglewood, with Jack and Jill of America and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Then the January 18 MLK Day of Service, led by a community partner. ASF's outreach team and eligibility specialists are on site at every day, so someone who wants housing or work can start that day.
The season closes in February 2027 with a Housing & Workforce resource fair: employers hiring on the spot, housing partners checking eligibility on the spot, and resource stations for job readiness, technology, mental health and benefits.
Over thirteen seasons, Warm the Streets has put more than 20,000 blankets into the community with more than 50 partner organizations and more than 1,000 volunteers.
What Every Gift Does
From a Blanket to a Front Door
Give once, give monthly, or start a fundraising team and bring your network with you. Gifts in by Tuesday, December 1 (Giving Tuesday) buy the packages that go out December 12. Ask one question at work: will your employer match?
$25 · One winter package
A blanket, socks and water, and a card that says where the next step is. ASF buys in bulk, so a dollar given here buys more warmth than a dollar spent at retail.
$50 · Two packages
Two neighbors met, named, and handed the card that says where the next step is.
$100 · One outreach route
Four packages for one route walked by a volunteer team alongside ASF's outreach workers.
$250 · A team's full route
Ten packages, the full load for a volunteer team on a service day.
$500 · Eligibility on site
Twenty packages, and the screening at a service day that lets someone start the housing or job process that same day.
Thirteen Seasons
What Warm the Streets Has Built
Seasons Since 2014
Blankets Distributed
Partner Organizations
Volunteers
Give to Warm the Streets 2026
Fund the whole pathway, from the first blanket to the key to a front door.
Every gift funds blankets, socks and water for neighbors living on the street in South Los Angeles, and the interim housing, workforce training and housing placement behind that first contact.
Secure giving through Give Lively. A Step to Freedom is a 501(c)(3); gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN 95-4704879.
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at Darby Park in Inglewood is the season opener. The January 18, 2027 MLK Day of Service follows, led by a community partner in South Los Angeles. The February 2027 Housing & Workforce resource fair closes the season. Registered volunteers get call time, parking and route details by email and text about a week before each day.
Register yourself or your whole team at asf-wts-2026.netlify.app/volunteer. Organizations volunteer in groups of 5 or more; individuals are welcome too. Teams meet at the park, load blankets, socks and water, and walk routes with ASF's outreach team.
Our volunteers are often our first donors. Registration includes funding the package you'll hand out ($25 is a blanket, socks and water for one neighbor), or raising it with a fundraising team. Give what's right for you.
The winter package is blankets, socks and water, and ASF buys them in bulk so every package goes out the same. The most useful gift is funds. Partners with bulk blankets, socks or water to contribute can email jennifer@asteptofreedom.org to arrange a drop-off appointment. Interim housing and outreach organizations that distribute blankets through their own programs can request a pickup at asf-wts-2026.netlify.app/pickup. Pickups run December 7–11 and January 11–15.
Yes. A Step to Freedom is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 95-4704879). Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and you receive a receipt by email.
Gifts received by Tuesday, December 1 (Giving Tuesday) buy the blankets, socks and water that go out on December 12. Gifts after that fund the January 18 MLK Day of Service and the February resource fair. The season community goal runs through February 2027.
Yes. Sponsorship levels run from $250 to $10,000 and include employer tables at the February resource fair, volunteer slots and recognition at every service day. See sponsorship levels or email Jamara Walker at jamara@asteptofreedom.org. Organizations can also start a fundraising team.