On Oct. 16, TenderLove Community Center held its annual Kindness in Action gathering at Albuquerque’s Robinson Park. KOB reported that TenderLove handed out donated hygiene items and housing vouchers there. KRQE’s same-day report described food, hygiene products and other resources for people experiencing homelessness, and said it was the event’s third year. Together, the reports show a community gathering that paired immediate supplies with a form of housing assistance.
TenderLove president and CEO Dr. Debbie Johnson told KRQE, “We don't see homeless. we see people that need help.” The line reflects the center’s people-first framing. In the same report, Johnson said the organization wants to help people when they need support, describing the risk of people going years without it. Her remarks explain why TenderLove presents the event as outreach, while the reports document what was available at the park.
KOB also quoted Santana Garcia, whom the station identified as being with TenderLove Community Center. He described people feeling forgotten and said, “Like, we should try to help each other out as much as we can.” That account adds a second voice from the event alongside Johnson’s remarks about helping people when they need it. KOB did not specify Garcia’s title.
KOB reported that TenderLove representatives also offered support through the center’s housing, recovery and education programs. The report does not give a number, value or eligibility rules for the vouchers, or say whether they led to housing. KOB said another distribution was planned for the following month but did not provide a date.
TenderLove’s history page says Kindness in Action began in summer 2024 as a way to reach many unhoused people at once. The organization described the first gathering as a day centered on food, water and help signing up for referral-free housing. That format brings the nonprofit’s outreach into a shared public setting, where its staff can offer several kinds of support in one place.
The center says the 2025 gathering added a shoe drive. It began collecting shoes in July, then invited clients and other unhoused people to a local park in August. TenderLove says the event offered food, water and a chance to find footwear, while also helping people sign up for referral-free housing. The account shows how the yearly gathering has been adapted to include different practical needs.
For 2026, TenderLove said it was establishing a Hygiene Bank to accept donated products for its clients and other people in need. Its page described plans to bring hygiene items, food and water to a park, as well as help with referral-free housing sign-ups.
TenderLove says its hygiene assistance dates to 2013. The center describes its intended recipients as individuals and families experiencing homelessness, housing instability, financial hardship and other challenges. Its ongoing service therefore has a wider stated audience than the event reports’ description of people experiencing homelessness at Robinson Park. The organization says staff and volunteers distribute supplies through outreach and Kindness in Action.
The center’s published supply list includes soap and body wash, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, menstrual products, toilet paper, tissues and disposable razors. It also lists laundry detergent, new socks and underwear, blankets, and diapers and wipes when available. The list covers everyday personal-care and household basics; it describes TenderLove’s broader hygiene program rather than a verified inventory of each item at the park.
People seeking supplies can visit TenderLove’s Albuquerque center and speak with staff, according to the organization. The center lists its address as 1518 Girard Boulevard NE. Its posted donation hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those are center hours, not the schedule for Kindness in Action at Robinson Park.
For neighbors who want to contribute, TenderLove welcomes new, unopened hygiene items and asks prospective donors to check current needs before bringing supplies. Some items, including diapers and wipes, are listed as available when the center has them. The center’s guidance gives residents a direct way to support the ongoing program while matching donations to what staff can currently distribute.
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