PORT TOWNSEND — Those who are unprepared for the cold weather will benefit from a coat drive designed to ward off the chill of winter.
Sponsored by the Jefferson County YMCA, the drive has placed boxes at several locations in Port Townsend where people can drop off their gently used coats, which in turn will be donated to anyone who asks.
“It doesn’t get that cold here, but there are families in need who don’t have coats,” said Amanda Funaro, who is coordinating the drive.
“We do a lot for our kids in this community, but there are a lot of mommies and daddies who go to work and need coats, and there are a lot of people who work in the rain and the mud, and are unprotected.”
The drive, now in progress through Jan. 7, has donations and distributions happening as they occur.
Large cardboard boxes decorated with paper snowflakes are installed at the Boiler Room, Port Townsend schools, the Port Townsend Athletic Club, Kitsap Bank, Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the YMCA office at Mountain View Commons, 1919 Blaine St.
Funaro said coats collected in the boxes will be laundered and then made available for donation to interested parties through the YMCA ofwfice.
Or people can take a more direct route: If they need a coat and see one in a donation box, they can help themselves, Funaro said.
The program is run by volunteers with no overhead but accepts donations. One recent $20 gift was turned into quarters and will be used for laundry.
All the cleaning is being done at the Port Townsend Laundromat, which is providing a discount to the program, Funaro said.
“The Y saw a need and decided to meet it,” Funaro said.
“Anyone who needs a coat should just give us a call.”
For more information or to request a coat, phone 360-385-3811.
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
