PHOTO BY OLHA YAROVA VIA UNSPLASH.COM
A long-running local effort to keep Central Florida’s most vulnerable neighbors warm is returning this month. The annual grassroots coat and blanket drive, now in its 15th year, will take place at Ten 10 Brewing Company (Website) at 1010 Virginia Drive [GMap] on Friday, November 22, from 1 to 10 p.m.
The concept is simple and direct: bring a coat or blanket, and it will be distributed directly to someone in need in Bithlo, with no middlemen or red tape. “You give us a coat or blanket and it goes directly to a person in need,” said Suzie Sturgeon Caffery, one of this year’s organizers. “There’s no money exchanged, no Board of Directors telling us how to distribute these things. It’s just a few people accepting the donation and turning around and giving it to someone who needs it desperately, and usually within about a week.”
“This is about simplicity and human connection. It means the world to someone who’s cold.”
Those attending the November 22 drop-off at Ten 10 Brewing are encouraged to bring new or gently used coats, sweaters, and blankets. The event will run all day, providing a chance for visitors to grab a beer, meet neighbors, and contribute to a tradition that has quietly changed lives for more than a decade.
Click HERE for the Facebook event page.
