OMAHA, Neb— Over the past few weeks, you've donated over five thousand winter items for the "Warmth for Winter Coat Drive."
- There's a total of 5,243 winter items donated through the drive.
- Video shows the piles from blue barrels.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s kindness of others that brings warmth to many during this time of year. I’m Maria your South Omaha reporter at one of Heartland Hope Mission's locations on 21st and U street where families will pick out a coat collected through the drive.
It was a community effort to help people who are struggling to make ends meet.
KMTV, Heartland Hope, and Godfathers made the call, but our neighbors in Omaha spoke in numbers.
Volunteers like Larry Larson spent weeks dropping off and then picking up barrels.
“There’s days where you walk in there, there’s like barrels that overflow and there’s stuff around the floor, I mean it’s just like amazing it's one of those wow moments," says Larson.
For those who donated at this Godfather’s location on North 30th Street might have met Alonzo Hutt, but did you know he donated to the drive too?
"Yeah, I’ve donated before, I’ve had like old coats and like shoes and stuff i would just throw in there, just cause I’m like, I don't wear them any more someone else can wear them instead of just throwing them away," says Hutt.
"At Godfathers there like in a competition with each other, in a competitive spirit, which it helps bring more coats in," says Larson.
And Hutt confirmed.
“We do that mainly with Saddle Creek because it's the closest store to us and its just funny, it creates a little bit of entertainment," he said.
But all in good spirit, came the impact, its moms like Marleni Morales who we met in January who are more than grateful.
“We just want to show our gratitude for all of this, and for my kid; there’s just some things we just can’t afford,” says Morales
Coats, hats, gloves, scarves, volunteers counted it all.
You donated a grand total of 5,243 winter items!
The coat drive is officially over; they accept donations all times of the year. You can bring your gently used coat to any of Heartland Hope Mission's locations. At 21st and U street , I’m your South Omaha neighborhood reporter Maria Osnaya.
