Donate some winter warmth, do-gooders!

One of the absolute easiest ways to do good over the winter months is to donate a coat. I have compiled the "Great Holiday Coat Drive List of 2010" so that whether you live in the West Hartford area, Southern Connecticut, New York City, Boston, or Philadelphia, there is an easy place for you to donate!

The shelters and other service providers who will be receiving these coats vary in the types of services they provide and to whom the coats will be distributed. Feel free to tailor (!) your donation to the type of recipient you would like to benefit most. Before you decide not to donate a coat this year, just a few quick facts. The homeless often lose their coats during the summer since they have no place to keep them, so many homeless individuals need a new coat as the winter cold sets in. Victims of domestic violence often leave their abusive homes with nothing but the shirts on their backs. Many children have parents who can't afford to purchase a new coat for them as they grow out of the old ones each year. Someone without a coat during the bitter Northeast winters faces a host of illnesses and even death. Donating a coat is a small thing that you can do to help make someone's winter a little warmer, and, hopefully, I'll make it really easy for you to donate this holiday season!

Let's be honest, we all have a coat that maybe doesn't fit quite right or maybe we liked the style when we bought it but now we want something new with all of the holiday sales coming up. As long as the coat is in good condition, donate away! Of course, if you wouldn't wear it because the lining is ripped or it's so worn out that it isn't warm anymore, or it is pilling all over the place, it's best to toss that coat instead. So clean out your closets and make some space for all the cozy sweaters and winter clothes you're ready to pull out. If you go shopping and want to buy a new coat to donate, even better!

All of the places to donate ask that the items be gently used or new, and most ask that they be clean. So, do gooders, I present to you, the Great Holiday Coat Drive List of 2010!

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut do-gooders, look no further than Best Cleaners for your one-stop coat donation shop! Best Cleaners will actually dry clean your coats before taking the donations over to the Salvation Army. That's right, they will take the coat that's been sitting in your hall closet for a couple years and dry clean it so that it is fresh and crisp for its new owner. This is the easiest coat donation system I've ever seen. Plus, you can drop the coat at any of the Best Cleaners locations in Connecticut. Best Cleaners has locations in Berlin, Bristol, Canton, Glastonbury, Farmington/Unionville, Middletown, North Haven, Plainville, Rocky Hill, and Windsor.

Another great coat drive is the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce Toy and Coat Drive. This is one of my favorite picks because it's a type of what I like to call "combination giving." The drive is combined with the Chamber's Annual Holiday Business After Hours Party on December 9, 2010 from 5:30-7:30 at Companions for Living & Hartford Dental Associates at 1216 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford. Come meet, greet, and network with over 75 West Hartford professionals for hor d'oeurves and beverages! Admission is free for members of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce and $20 for non-members and all party attendees are asked to bring unwrapped toys to benefit The Town that Cares Fund and new or gently used coats for donation to Button Up Connecticut. Can't make it to the event? The Chamber is accepting unwrapped toys and new or gently used coats at their offices at 948 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through December 17, 2010!

One of my favorite organizations, Hands on Hartford, is in desperate need of coats to give out this winter, so make room in your closet by donating to their Annual Coat Drive!  Drop off your clean, gently used or new coats in the basement of South Church.  The entrance is at 1 Buckingham Street.  Drop off coats Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or Friday between 9 p.m. and 3 p.m.  I spoke to Rosa at Hands on Hartford this morning and she said that they need to fill the coffers and haven't received nearly enough coats this season.  They are especially in need of coats in Men's sizes XL to 3XL. 

Button Up Connecticut has lots of opportunities for coat donation throughout the State of Connecticut! Towns that you can drop-off in are New Britain, Bloomfield, Glastonbury, West Hartford, Tolland, Wethersfield, Granby, and Meriden. For a list of drop-off locations and times, click here! My pick for donating through Button Up in West Hartford is Effie's Place Restaurant at 91 Park Road because you can drop off there seven days a week! Drop-off anytime Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Want to donate a coat in Southern Connecticut? Look no further than One Warm Coat! One Warm coat has drop-off locations in Madison, New Haven, and Stamford. For Madison and Stamford donations, you have to act quickly because they are only collecting until November 20th! New Haven is accepting donations until December 31st, so plenty of time to donate. Click the links for your town for drop-off times and locations!

More combination giving, this time in Southern CT! Want to save 10% off of your entire purchase storewide at any Trailblazer store? All you have to do is donate a clean, new or gently used coat at the Trailblazer Coat Drive. Trailblazer has locations in New Haven, Branford, and Uncasville, CT and is accepting donations at all their stores. Donations to the New Haven store will benefit Harbor Health Services Clothing Drive, donations from the Branford store will benefit Columbus House, and donations from the Uncasville store will benefit Norwich Human Services. Trailblazer is accepting donations between November 15th and December 28th. This is an easy way to give back and get back!

NEW YORK CITY

New York Cares is one of my favorite organizations, period. Talk about an organization that makes it easy to give back! So, it is no surprise that the 22nd Annual New York Cares Coat Drive is a really, really easy way to donate a coat this holiday season with tons of drop-off locations throughout the city. After 22 years, it seems that they have this down to a science. So just the basics here, donate your new or freshly laundered gently used coat December 1-31st.

New York Cares is accepting donations during your morning commute between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m on weekdays at Grand Central Station in the Graybar Passage, in Penn Station at the Amtrak/NJ Transit portion of the terminal, and at Port Authority in the Main Concourse at the 42nd Street entrance. Can't make it during the morning commute? My pick for drop-off is the Pond at Bryant Park which is accepting donations anytime. Just think, ice skate and donate! You can also drop off anytime with New York's Finest at your local NYPD precinct or if you'd rather look at home furnishings and paint colors, just drop off at any Janovic Paint and Decorating Center, click here for locations throughout NYC, or drop-off anytime at all locations of Oz Moving and Storage.

If you happen to be heading to Madison Square Garden for a Rangers game, here's an easy way to give back (and if you have an extra ticket, feel free to invite me!). The New York Rangers and the Garden of Dreams Foundation are holding their 5th Annual Children's Coat Drive. Bring a new or gently used coat to the game with you until December 3rd and you get a commemorative Rangers item! Collection bins are set up in the mall area outside the Garden Box Office and also the suite lobbies on the 9th and 10th floors. Can't make it to the Rangers game? Here's a list of ice skating rinks where the team is also collecting coats!

GREATER BOSTON AREA

My pick for the Greater Boston Area coat donations is One Warm Coat. They have a ton of drop-off locations throughout the area. In Boston and Cambridge, the easiest drop-off location during the month of November is City Sports. Every City Sports store is accepting coat donations for One Warm Coat and if you like their page on facebook, they will donate $1 for each like to One Warm Coat. City Sports has locations in BU, Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, Harvard Square, Porter Square, Chestnut Hill, and Legacy Place.

Outside the city? Check out the One Warm Coats drop-off location page for drop-off spots in Abington, Auburn, Billerica, Braintree, Bridgewater, Chestnut Hill, Danvers, Dartmouth, Dedham, Dorchester, East Boston, Fall River, Hingham, Holyoke, Hyannis, Kingston, Lanesboro, Mattapoisett, Milford, Millbury, Natick, Plymouth, Providence, Quincy, Revere, Shrewsbury, South Attleboro, South Grafton, Springfield, Stoughton, Tauton, and Worchester. Just click on Massachusetts on the map.

GREATER PHILADELPHIA

Greater Philadelphia Cares is accepting coats from now until Martin Luther King Jr. Day for their 15th Annual Winter Coat Drive! Greater Philadelphia Cares has made it extremely easy to donate with a host of donation drop-off locations. There are five different locations in Center City for drop-off including Applebee's on South 15th Street, the Sheraton at Society Hill, or the Conestoga Bank at the Chinatown, Arch Street or their two Market Street locations.

Not in Center City? Greater Philadelphia Cares also has locations in Northwest Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey!

And for a fun night on the town combined with giving back, this is one of my favorite picks for Philly! On December 10th from 8 p.m. to midnight, members of the Mazzoni Center's Care Services team will be taking over the bar at the Bike Stop at 206 S. Quince Street for their Winter Coat Drive Event. There will be beer, jello shots, and cupcakes! Bring new children's coats, mittens, hats, scarves, and presents to benefit children living with HIV/AIDS.

DIY COAT DRIVE

It's really easy to organize your own coat drive too.  Many organizations will actually come and pick up all of the coats for you!  Look for more information in an upcoming post.  Want to start your drive sooner rather than later? Post a comment or email me and I will send information your way.

Didn't see your area represented above and want to donate a coat?  Post a comment with your city or town and I'll find the easiest way to donate in your neck of the woods and share it with you!

In the meantime, I hope that I've made it easy for you to donate a coat this winter and to share warmth with those less fortunate this holiday season with the Great Holiday Coat Drive List of 2010!

Happy Holidays!

xo Jessica