The RoundHouse | 12/8/2020 4:16:00 PM

 
The Post Office workers rolled out two carts of donations. Hannah Wilkinson thanked them and prepared to load the boxes into her Ford F150 pickup.
 
Hold on, they said, there is more to come.
 
Much, much more. Clothes. Diapers. Shampoo. Stuffed animals. Backpacks. 
 
"They drag out two enormous baskets and I was like 'Wow, this is so fantastic,'" she said. "They're like 'No, this isn't even half. Are you sure you can get all this?'"
 
Wilkinson, Wichita State's associate head strength and conditioning coach, is taking donations for Catholic Charities Harbor House domestic violence shelter and service. The campaign is an extension of the toy drive that strength and conditioning coach Kerry Rosenboom organized in previous years.
 
"No matter what, doing something for other people around the holidays is lovely," Wilkinson said. "This one really struck a chord with my heart. It takes a lot of bravery and humility to utilize the Harbor House. It's a wonderful organization, but it's also a last resort. It's very humbling to go get help from strangers, and I admire that."
 
 

Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter

Went to the post office....#Love ✅ pic.twitter.com/QFMrkRFRXk

— Hannah Wilkinson (@coachHMW) December 4, 2020

 
 
Wilkinson needed every inch of that pickup bed and backseat after outgrowing the parcels boxes at her apartment as donations began arriving. 
 
"There's a note in my P.O. box that says ''Miss Wilkinson, an abundance of packages were delivered and we couldn't deliver them because it would have barricaded the hall for yourself and your neighbors,'" she said.
 
Her office in Wichita State's Student-Athlete Center is packed with boxes and packages. There are more at her apartment.
 
"Bras, tampons, diapers, shirts, backpacks – an array of things for the women that are there and the children that oftentimes come with them," she said. "It has been absolutely insane. I went to the Post Office and picked up hundreds of parcels. Things are tapering off a little bit, but every other day I get another 50 at my door."
 
Past toy drives relied largely on the campus community. Wilkinson expanded this campaign's reach with social media and made it easy for people to contribute using Venmo (hmw_711) and a wish list on Amazon.com. Donations are coming in from around the United States, especially from former work locations such as Arizona, Utah and Mississippi.
 
"People really want to be kind and generous, but you get swept up in life," she said. "The easier I make it and the more accessible I make it, I've found that people are more apt to participate."

Wilkinson hasn't counted the packages yet, although she plans to use this week to sort and organize the donations. She plans on at least one more trip to the Post Office and needs to prepare Harbor House for what's coming.
 
Wilkinson is taking donations of toiletries, clothing, household products, nonperishable food, baby needs, toys and gifts until Dec. 18. For questions, contact her at hwilkinson@goshockers.com.
 

Day 2 of Amazon Love for the Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter pic.twitter.com/OeZENmKHQi

— Hannah Wilkinson (@coachHMW) December 4, 2020

 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.