Warm Coats in the Cold Winter

by Laura Hardy, Big Joe & Laura radio program (& coat drive)

On Saturday, December 13, something really special happened in West Michigan. And it’s one of those quiet, IFYKYK, good-news stories that deserves to be told a just a little bit louder.

Earlier this winter, Mix 95.7 wrapped up the third year of its Big Joe and Laura Coat Drive, and once again, West Michigan showed that we’re a community that cares about our neighbors.

More than 700 coats were collected (and counting) from over 30 drop-off locations across the area. That’s hundreds of people cleaning out their closets, grabbing an extra coat while shopping, or simply thinking about a neighbor they may never meet.

And if you’ve ever wondered where those coats actually go, here’s the answer. They don’t sit in storage forever or get shipped out of town. They get handed directly to people who need them, right outside of Heartside Park in Downtown Grand Rapids.

 Neighbors For Neighbors, a local charity that does this kind of work month after month, began distributing the coats right away. Some of the coats went out in their November give away before the drive officially wrapped up, but the bulk of them were ready to be shared on Saturday during the organization’s regular second-Saturday distribution at Bethlehem Lutheran.

It may have been cold outside. But inside, it was the opposite.

Neighbors came in out of the chill and were welcomed with chili, coffee, hot cocoa, sandwiches, and snacks. There were jeans, sweatshirts, boots, and hundreds of coats laid out and ready. All while people warmed up in the new sitting area, took a breath, and picked out what they needed. No questions asked. Just help, freely given by people who care.

This is what that coat drive turns into. Not just numbers. Not just a feel-good headline. Real warmth, in every sense of the word for those who really need it the most.

It’s also worth saying out loud how much work this takes. Volunteers showed up. Friends cooked food. People carried boxes, sorted sizes, made space feel welcoming. Countless trips were made to pick up boxes full of coats, even after we said we were finished. (What a blessing.)

But, It doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because people care.

As winter settles in and the snow keeps coming, those coats will keep doing their job. And so will Neighbors For Neighbors, quietly showing up on the second Saturday of every month, making sure no one feels forgotten.

That’s the part of West Michigan I think is truly worth being loud about.