Coat drive warms the body, and the heart

MILLERTON — Winter is on its way, and with that comes some very cold and snowy weather. Not everyone has proper outerwear, which is why the North East Community Center (NECC) offers its annual free coat giveaway, which is coming up Nov. 13, at the center,  located at 51 South Center Street in the village of Millerton, from 1 to 6 p.m.

Before the coat giveaway can take place, however, NECC needs to gather the coats it will disperse. Many of those coats will be provided by Dutchess Outreach. Some, however, will need to be collected from the local community.

Coats must be clean, in decent shape, and brought in during the community center’s regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If that’s not convenient other arrangements can be made by calling NECC at 518-789-4259. Coats should not  be left outside the center under any circumstances.

Coats are needed for men and women, boys and girls, in all shapes and sizes. In particular there is a need for large coats in dark colors, because after the coat drive volunteers from the center participate in a midnight run to New York City, during which they bring coats, toiletries and food to the homeless who are sleeping on the city’s streets. The activity reinforces the importance of thinking of others, and taking action to help when one can.

“I think people love to help their neighbors; they love to find ways to do something to make a difference and sometimes it’s hard to know what to do,� NECC Executive Director Jenny Hansell said. “This is so concrete, so simple. You know it’s going to stay locally. A lot of times people love to donate things but there’s a limited way to get things out to people. This one is sort of the perfect circle.�

This is the fifth year that the community center is holding the coat giveaway, which is being sponsored by Guardian Storage. Dutchess Outreach collects the majority of coats and brings them to the center, which also gets a large number of coats locally. For the past few years roughly 100 coats have been given away annually.

This year, Hansell said she is also encouraging people to bring in winter sweaters, sweatshirts, gloves, scarves, mittens and hats.

“We’ve never done this before but I’m thinking how high the energy costs may be this year and that people may be needing to turn down their heat in their homes to save money,� she said.

According to NECC’s mission statement, the community center “seeks to build a healthy, caring, responsive and welcoming community for all who live and visit. NECC acts as a catalyst for that community vision through its partnerships with other organizations and by offering social, educational, recreational and cultural programs and services to help meet community needs.�

“What that means is we help people who need help and make it easier for other people to help people who need help and get involved,� Hansell said. “And the coat drive does both things.�

Those who would like to donate coats may do so anytime between now and Nov. 12. The coat pick up is Nov. 13. If you would like to pick up a coat but cannot make it to the event, call NECC at 518-789-4259 to make arrangements for one or more coats to be held under your name.

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