The 'Gwynedd Gives Warmth' coat drive is currently underway!
As the temperatures drop, one local school has a way to warm the heart. Both those giving and those receiving are bound to feel the warmth all around.
Gwynedd Mercy Academy School is hosting its fourth annual coat drive, called “Gwynedd Gives Warmth” which began on Monday. Running now through Nov. 19, all are welcome to drop coats off at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School or at the Lower Gwynedd Township Building to make a donation to the cause.
The drive has two goals: to keep others warm, but also to keep the earth clean. The donation of coats can help those in-need to have the proper protection from winter weather. But, coats that can be given to others, also mean they will not be put into the garbage, filling landfills across the country.
All coats will be donated then to those in-need through One Warm Coat Distribution. The organization has been donating warm winter clothing since 1992, facilitating more than 50,000 coat drives across the country. The nonprofit has collected more than 8.3 million coats, distributed through 1,500 nonprofit partners. The donations, the organization said, has kept 21 million pounds of clothing out of landfills.
The initiative was started just a few years ago by an alumna of the school, Ava Kulp. As part of the LEAD4Change program, the former student of Gwynedd Mercy was “inspired by the Sisters of Mercy’s focus on earth,” Kulp said she wanted to give back to the local community and its surrounding areas.
She said she “aimed to provide warmth to those in need while also supporting the environment,” said promotional materials for the drive.
Coats of all sizes and types are welcome. The school asks that no coats with stains or holes be donated. Drop-off bins are currently located in the school’s LGT glass corridor, at the high school located at 1345 Sumneytown Pike, in Lower Gwynedd.
Alternatively, residents may donate the coats to the Lower Gwynedd Township Building, which is located at 1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, in Spring House.
