The Salvation Army Coat program has been a smashing success, said Gary Gugala, Salvation Army captain.
Gugala said the coat run, which will run through December, has already collected about 1,200 coats. Out of those, Gugala said the Salvation Army has given out more than 220.
“Some of the coats donated are not necessarily usable,” Gugala said. “We have to sort through them and weed out the ones that were damaged by critters, had broken zippers or buttons missing. We also want to make sure they are clean and look decent for our neighbors.”
Gugala said Wesley House was conducting a similar run for children’s coats. Any coats that cannot be used are recycled, he said.
Gugala said there were still coats available, and added that the Salvation Army would still receive any donated coats. He added that the recent drop in temperatures helped with the drive.
“We had some ugly weather that I think really got people thinking about bad weather and coming in,” Gugala said. “Still, I still see people on the streets who don’t look like they are prepared for winter.
“It’s really going great,” Gugala said. “I think we kind of blew Ryan’s away with the number of coats we had. They’ve done a great job and have been really hard working. We just want everybody to have something warm.”
Cycle Ride for Toys
The Salvation Army will also help to host the 26th annual toy run. All bikes are welcome for the cycle ride, which will take off from the Big Lots parking lot at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Gugala said that attendees should bring a toy to donate, and said that the event would serve as a sort of “holiday kickoff” for the organization.
“It’s the first time for us to be involved in this,” Gugala said. “We are delighted to be a part of something of this nature and to collect toys for those in the area. Some people might not have a Christmas without it.”
Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134
PITTSBURG —
