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This is the first year that the club has done an expanded version of its Winter Coat Drive, with locations at First Baptist Church, the Highlands United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Community Bible Church and Select Bank.
With the winter winds coming in, the Mountaintop Rotary Club is accepting donations for its Winter Coat Drive, but also keeping future projects in mind.
This is the first year that the club has done an expanded version of its Winter Coat Drive, with locations at First Baptist Church, the Highlands United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Community Bible Church and Select Bank.
Rotarian Duncan Greenlee said he has a personal connection with the Winter Coat Drive, having worked outside in the cold every year for 42 years.
“I have been in the lawn business for 42 years,” Greenlee said. “I have had many, many employees over the years and have come in contact with large numbers of workers who I know did not have warm clothing. I have seen first-hand what it is like to suffer from not being warm enough when you are trying to work outside.”
The drive will go through the month of January and if the weather stays cold, Greenlee said they may extend it to February.
“We are partnering with the Highlands Emergency Council to distribute the coats,” Greenlee said. “We are looking for gently used, warm coats for men, women and children. We ask that the coats be something that people can work in. No formal coats. If you don’t have a coat, you can donate $20 that will go directly to a coat for a child.”
Greenlee said there are already donations coming in at all of the donation locations.
“We are very grateful for the local churches and businesses that are supporting this coat drive with such enthusiasm,” Greenlee said. “The coats and the money are already flowing in. I firmly believe and our club firmly believes that no one should go hungry, and no one should be cold in Highlands.”
The Mountaintop Rotary Club is already getting in contact with different non-profits to figure out their needs for the year.
“We will be distributing funds to these non-profits all throughout the year,” Greenlee said. “We will be doing other projects of our own, as well. We are already looking forward to expanding our Toy Drive for next Christmas. Upcoming, we have a firewood project. We will be cutting and splitting firewood to distribute through the Highlands Emergency Council for people who still heat their homes with wood and can’t split their own firewood. There are a lot of seniors in Highlands who still heat their homes with wood, and this helps them get it in their homes without having to do it themselves. For other projects in the year, we look forward to partnering with the Literacy and Learning Center and the Free Clinic.”
For those interested in helping with future projects for the Mountaintop Rotary Club, visit mountaintoprotaryclubhighlands.org.
- By Christopher Lugo