New York Cares’ 34th Annual Coat Drive Distributes Thousands Of Coats And Meals

As the city continues to face economic uncertainty, New York Cares, the leading volunteer organization from Harlem to Hollis.

Today announced that it distributed more than 53,000 brand-new, warm winter coats, and collected over 17,000 gently-used coats, providing a total of 70,547 warm winter coats during its 34^th Annual Coat Drive. Ten thousand of the collected coats were donated directly to New York City Community Schools for distribution to students and families in need, including asylum seekers. With critical support from its community partner organizations and the generosity of corporate and individual donors, New York Cares provided warmth and dignity to some of the city’s most vulnerable populations in public schools, housing shelters, community centers, and social service agencies.

“As New Yorkers struggle to keep up with the rising costs of necessities like food, rent, and clothing while still recovering from a pandemic, thousands are continuing to experience food insecurity, homelessness and unemployment. During this time of economic uncertainty, we strive to provide warmth—inside and out—for students, families and individuals in need,” said Sapreet K. Saluja, Executive Director of New York Cares. “We are incredibly thankful for the generous donations from the individuals and organizations that are committed to helping New York Cares fulfill urgent requests for coats in all five boroughs.

For the second year, New York Cares launched Coats+, a fundraising campaign with a continuing focus on distributing warm winter coats with care, while also addressing food insecurity through meal distributions. Every $25 donation provided a New Yorker with a brand new, high-quality coat, as well as ten meals. Many individuals and organizations set up virtual Coats+ fundraisers, which were shared with other supporters online. While virtual fundraisers were encouraged, a limited number of drop-off locations were available in each borough for those who wished to donate a new or gently used, freshly-laundered coat. In total, fundraising efforts helped distribute 236,939 meals to the community.

New York Cares has distributed coats to community partners throughout the five boroughs, including Coalition for the Homeless in Manhattan, The River Fund in Queens, Mott Haven Community Partnership in the Bronx, Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, and the Staten Island Community Partnership. In total, nearly 20,000 coats were distributed to those in need in Queens alone, the largest number of any borough. In the Bronx, agencies received an estimated 16,000 coats, and in Manhattan, agencies received close to 20,000 coats.  Nearly 10,000 coats were distributed to agencies in Brooklyn and an estimated 5,000 coats were distributed to agencies in Staten Island.

“Thank you to New York Cares for their unwavering support to families throughout Queens. New York Cares and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation were able to provide over 1,500 coats to families living in North West Queens,” said Shannon Getzel, Co-Founder of Together We Can. “The families were humbled and appreciative to receive the coats since many of them are struggling to make ends meet. Thank you to New York Cares for bringing them warmth, hope, and love during this time.”

The 34^th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive was made possible by Amazin’ Mets Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, PJT Partners, The Amine Family, The Shapiro Family, Adam & Jodi Zotkow, Julie Turaj and Robert Pohly.

For the last 34 years, New York Cares has enabled hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to perform acts of warmth – small, seemingly simple good deeds that in fact, yield a massive impact.

The 34^th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive

Since 1989, the New York Cares Coat Drive has collected over two million winter coats for men, women, and children throughout the city. For more information on setting up a virtual Coats+ fundraiser and for other ways to help keep New Yorkers warm, visit newyorkcares.org/coat-drive.

New York Cares

New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in the city. Last year, more than 20,000 New Yorkers made the city a better place by volunteering in New York Cares programs at over 400 nonprofits and schools – improving education, meeting immediate needs, and revitalizing public spaces. For more information, visit newyorkcares.org.