"When your heart is in the right place, but..." writes Downtown South Bend in a Facebook post. "We suspect someone left these items for the homeless and we appreciate the thought behind the act but there is a better way to get these items to the people who need them."

A better way to serve the homeless community during this chilly holiday season is by partnering with a local organization to assist with meeting those needs. 

Hope Ministries, whose mission to help residents heal, transform and thrive, serves the community by addressing basic needs: 12 to 18 months of housing, three meals a day and mental, physical and emotional healthcare services. 

Hope Ministries is currently taking food and men's clothing donations. 

A current list of needs is available on their website. 

Downtown South Bend also offers their own outreach program, making sure clean dry items, in the correct size, are given to people in need. 

DTSB's Outreach Ambassador Chris Anderson's main goal is to get people off the streets by building relationships.

"It's pretty tough being out on the streets and not having anywhere to go," he said. "Yeah, they do have an attitude or a chip on their shoulder, but it's my job to talk to them, get through that and try to help them as best as I can." 

Anderson meets with individuals and writes down their shirt and underwear sizes to best meet their needs. 

You can support DTSB's outreach program by providing a monetary donation on their website. 

Other local organizations assisting the community are Center for the Homeless and Our Lady of the Road.  

You can view a full list of the items they're accepting on their websites.