WOW. That's pretty much all we can say. And thank you. This year 1,063 coats were donated to the Big Warm Up Coat Drive - with more coming in! Insane! These coats will be distributed throughout the area and make over 1,000 people happier and warmer.
These organizations will be receiving coats from the drive to donate to their patrons:
The Haven, PACEM, Jefferson Area CHIP, Region Ten, MACAA Head Start, MACAA's Hope House, Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), area schools, area family support programs, CDSS, ACDSS, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, LOVE INC, SHE, On Our Own, ASG, Belmont Baptist's Clothing Closet, Betty's Church
Here's some more thank yous for you:
Thanks to Ty Smith from SunTrust for donating 75 lbs of nice UVa athletic gear. This gear was handed out with the coats today.
Thank you to Catherine Potter from SunTrust Mortage for the coats she gathered.
Thanks to Martha Johnson from Wells-Fargo/Wachovia for her donation.
And thanks to Sarah Ashworth, President of BNI, not only donated a nice pile of coats but volunteered as well.
A special thanks to Keith McGilvery for his coverage of our drive on NBC29. Look out for the update!
One (of the many) piles of coats:
Our wonderful, coat-sorting volunteers! Last year we had 4 volunteers on sorting day. This past Saturday we had 23! Thank you to these tireless volunteers (sorting coats isn't as easy as it appears!). They are: Kari Miller, Amy Eastlack, Donna Baker, Emily Martin, Jamie Schwartz, Sarah Ashworth, Elizabeth Carpenter, Marietta Feigert, Victoria Feigert, Debbie Tuler, Kobi Feldman, Aaron Fein, Dahlia Litwick, Coby Fein, Sopher Fein, Karen Shepard, Jason Currier, Bryan Garery, Jordan McDaniel, Alissa Morein, and Ella Wheat.
Thanks again to all!
Next year's planning is already getting underway with plans to get coats distributed by mid-October - before it gets chilly! You can start planning too - large size jackets (XL to 5XL) are in highest demand (although jackets for everyone are needed), and they would be a great item to pick up at the end of season on sale. So if you see one for a good price, please snatch it up!
Thanks again. And again! And again!
