10-year old collects clothing for homeless veterans

EAGLE POINT, Ore. — A Rogue Valley’s boy’s dream is helping homeless vets stay warm during the winter season. For the second year in a row, 10-year old James Pitzen is collecting beanies and socks for vets in need. Last year, he collected hundreds of clothing items for them with the help of the community. This year, he hopes to do that and more.

“I like to see people getting stuff when they don’t have a lot,” Pitzen said. “They’re 1,300 homeless vets in the state and 298 homeless vets in Jackson County.”

Last year, the 5th grader at Sacred Heart Catholic School teamed up with ACCESS and United Way of Jackson County. Together they collected nearly 850 pieces of clothing.

“I don’t think people who served for our country deserve to be living on the streets,” he said.

So far, he’s received items from Washington, Texas and around Oregon.

“Everybody can make a difference,” Pitzen said.

If you would like to donate, you can drop off items at United Way of Jackson County and at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Medford. They’ll be collecting items through Veterans Day.

For more information, email [email protected].