As temperatures drop outside, you probably won’t hesitate to pull your kids’ coats from the closet or buy them new ones for the season. Unfortunately, many kids and families won’t have winter jackets to keep them warm during the New York City winter. Luckily, just in time for the season of giving, New York Cares has started up its annual coat drive. Most recently, children at P.S. 188 on Manhattan’s East End picked out a jacket to keep them cozy this winter.
For the last 31 years, New York Cares has channeled the generosity of city residents into its annual coat drive. Last year, they distributed their two millionth coat. This year, the goal is to collect 100,000 new or gently-used coats for people who need them. This includes those who receive care from social service agencies, students at public schools, residents of transitional housing shelters and anyone else who really needs a coat for the winter.
Coat Drive Delights Students P.S. 188
Children from P.S. 188 lined up in a large room where racks of coats from New York Cares were hanging. One by one, each child tried one on.
Teacher Cara Rochwarger reached up into the racks and helped students from her second-grade class try on some of the coats, many still with tags on them.
“Some of them don’t have coats or come to school with torn, ripped coats and some come with sweatshirts,” Rochwarger said. “They come to school with no coats and they are going outside even when it’s cold. They don’t get to go shopping and choose what they want to keep their bodies warm and so they are happy to get them.”
Vanessa Sampson, 7, a second grader, tried on an aquamarine snow jacket and smiled.
“Well, I love it,” she said as she twirled around for all to see. “It’s one of my favorite colors. I like pink purple and aquamarine. I had a silver coat with pink on bottom, but I really like this one.”
City-Wide Collaboration
Assisting again this year with the coat drive is the NYPD and Commissioner James O’Neill, who joined New York Cares executive director Gary Bagley to encourage residents to donate their coats for needy adults and children. More than 100 children at P.S. 188 on East Houston Street received a coat.
Thousands of coats are collected at every precinct in the city, Commissioner O’Neill said.
“As winter’s cold weather arrives, no one should be without a warm coat,” Commissioner O’Neill said. “Our police officers work every day to help their fellow New Yorkers, a spirit of public service that is reflected in this compassionate NY Cares tradition. The NYPD is proud to bring a measure of comfort to our city’s neediest.”
New York Cares is also working with the Department of Education in their effort to collect coats.
Bagley pointed out that there are 114,000 children in schools that are living in temporary housing. Many more live at the poverty line. About 10,000 coats will go directly to children in public schools.
“As temperatures drop, it is our duty to help many students and their families without protection from the cold,” Bagley said. “For the past 31 years, Cares has enabled thousands of volunteers to perform acts of warmth, carrying on the tradition of helping neighbor helping neighbor, and bettering the lives of New Yorkers.”
Make a Donation
If you happen to clean out your closets and find coats and jackets that you or your kids no longer fit in or don’t wear anymore, you can donate them at any of these locations:
Any NYPD police precinct
24 hours a day
New York Cares Warehouse – Midtown
157 West 31st Street, 646-801-4022
Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Penn Station Long Island Railroad Concourse – Midtown
2 Pennsylvania Plaza
New York Cares Office – Financial District
65 Broadway, 19th Floor, 212-228-5000
Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Any one of 200 Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association dealerships
Residents can also make a donation to New York Cares on their website. Get into the holiday spirit by helping a fellow New York family in need and be a part of helping more kids safely brave the cold this winter.
If you feel your school or nonprofit would benefit from hosting a coat drive, an application can be filled out online. Those interested in volunteering with New York Cares can learn more here.
Need to buy your kids a new coat after donating the old ones? Check out, The Very Best Winter Coats for Kids
