A winter donation drive at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is aiming to help both students on campus and neighbors in the wider community. The university's Fostering Success program and its Civil Rights Pilgrimage are running the drive together this month.

For Fostering Success, which supports students who have formerly been in foster care, are experiencing homelessness or may lack family support, the drive is collecting gloves, hats, scarves and handwarmers in recognition of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.

Other items, including warm socks, nonperishable snacks and travel-size hygiene products, will be assembled into care packages by Civil Rights Pilgrimage participants. The packages will go to the Day Resource Center in Eau Claire for people experiencing homelessness.

Donations can be dropped off at the Fostering Success office in Room 219 of Schofield Hall through Nov. 20. Program specialist FranChesca Riley said every item counts, whether it is two handwarmers or a bag of socks.

Pilgrimage students raised more than $500 earlier in the semester through bake sales and restaurant fundraisers to buy items needed to complete the packages. Nearly 50 people are expected to assemble the packages on Dec. 2.