When a college professor asked students to come up with a product that would meet an actual need instead of just contributing to an existing fad, Veronika Scott had an idea. After spending months interviewing members of the homeless community in her hometown in Colorado to understand the challenges of daily life on the street, she created the sleeping bag coat. Using fabric donated by several companies and initially funded by local donations, her coats became a sensation.

Today, the now-23-year-old’s non-profit company called The Empowerment Plan employs 10 formerly homeless women to make coats that are sent (for free) to homeless shelters around the country. One unexpected twist in her company’s sudden rise to success: The coats were evidently a hit at Aspen's fashion week. Scott is now working on a for-profit sister company that will sell the coats to help fund the non-profit efforts in the future … Discuss

A homeless man with a heart of gold in Kansas City returned a diamond ring to a woman after she mistakenly dropped it into his cup with her spare change. The woman, obviously, freaked out when she discovered it was missing, but Billy Ray Harris wasn't about to sell off a stranger's valuable jewelry. When he saw her a few days after she'd lost it, he gave it back to her. As he told local TV new station KCTV, "My grandfather was a reverend. He raised me from the time I was 6 months old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character" … Discuss

As temperatures on the East Coast continue to drop, a joint group of charity organizations in New York City is doing something to help the city’s homeless. The “Don’t Walk By” campaign, which is entering its fifth year, organizes volunteers to seek out New York City’s homeless population. The volunteers offer them blankets, clothes and food and invites them to residential recovery programs and shelters through local churches. The group’s organizers say their mission was inspired by Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. The campaign runs through the month of February … Discuss