Businesses wanting to install a donation station — one of these yellow refurbished parking meters — should call Jesse Elizondo with the Homeless Issues Partnership at 361-884-9497. The money will go to help provide services for the homeless. Courtesy photo
They look like bright yellow parking meters, but the change dropped in these donation stations will go to local charities that provide services for the homeless in Corpus Christi. The Corpus Christi Police Department, Homeless Issues Partnerships and Howard’s Barbecue installed the first Power of Change meter at Howard’s downtown location, 1002 Antelope St.
“Instead of giving money to panhandlers and not knowing where the money is going to go, [people are] able to give money to these meters,” said David Blackmon, Corpus Christi Police Department commander. “The money will then be distributed amongst the groups in the Homeless Initiative Partnerships.”
The meters are out-of-service equipment that have been refitted to collect donations, which will be used to provide food, hygiene products and shelter to the homeless. Organizations receiving the money include Goodwill, Corpus Christi Metro Ministries and the Salvation Army.
Blackmon saw that other cities have had success with the program and thought why not Corpus Christi?
“I thought it was an intriguing idea to use a parking meter that was no longer serviceable for the needs of parking revenue that could be used for a cause,” Blackmon said. “It’s going to be a great program. We hope that business owners will see this and will want to step up and do it, too.”
People interested in installing a donation station at their business may call Jesse Elizondo of the Homeless Issues Partnership at (361) 884-9497.
