Pillows for Their Head drive underway

After several successful charity drives for the Response to Love Center at St. Adalbert's on Buffalo's East Side, an Island couple is organizing one more: a pillow drive for the poor.

Diane and Rich Gurbacki are trying to gather pillows for Sister Johnice Rzadkiewicz at the Response to Love Center at 130 Kosciuszko St. The Gurbackis first helped Rzadkiewicz with a diaper drive last year because the mothers who came to the Response to Love Center had no diapers for their babies.

"My wife and I organized many diaper drives and were able to provide more than 40,000 diapers," Rich Gurbacki said. "At the end of this past summer, we asked people to contribute the extra vegetables from home gardens to the food pantry at the center, and we were able to collect and deliver bushels of fresh vegetables."

When he dropped off the last of the vegetables, Gurbacki asked Rzadkiewicz if she wanted to do a toy drive for Christmas, and her response was, "No, Richard, I need pillows for their heads." Rzadkiewicz indicated that many of the adults she ministers to have not had a fresh pillow in decades and some of the children roll up an old blanket or towel to rest their heads.

A pillow drive, Pillows for Their Head, was born.

"If you wish to help, bring us a new pillow or make a donation of $10 and we will buy the pillow in your name," Gurbacki said. "J.C. Penney's has graciously offered to sell us pillows at a reduced cost in order to help this fantastic mission."

Pillows will be accepted at the following locations:

•Galleria Mall in front of Dick's Sporting Goods Sunday, Nov. 27.

•Larkin Square (Holiday Festival) on the evening of Friday, Dec. 2.

•Flying Bison Brewery, 840 Seneca St. in Buffalo, on the evening of Friday, Dec. 2.

•Galleria Mall in front of Dick's Sporting Goods Saturday, Dec. 3.

•Flying Bison Brewery, 840 Seneca St. in Buffalo, on the evening of Friday, Dec. 9.

•Flying Bison Brewery, 840 Seneca St. in Buffalo, in the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 17.

•St. Stephen R.C. Church, Grand Island after Mass Sunday, Dec. 18.

For more information or questions, call Rich Gurbacki at 716-361-1145 or visit "Pillows for Their Head" page on Facebook.