NORWICH – After weeks of collecting monetary and clothing donations from the community, volunteers and employees from The Place and the Norwich City School District helped distribute bags of winter appropriate clothing for students as the collaborative clothing drive effort came to a close.
With fewer volunteers than in previous years, workers opened the doors at the clothing distribution center at the middle school Wednesday, ready to hand out clothing to families who had registered in past weeks. “We still had plenty of volunteers this year,” said Kelly Colosi, city school district social worker. “And all of them have been incredibly committed.”
Courtney Crisler, executive director of The Place, has been closely working with Colosi in coordinating the clothing drive, which kicked off after Thanksgiving. Since then, hundreds of people have donated new clothing toward the cause and hundreds more have purchased paper snowflakes for $30 at local businesses and various charities throughout the area. Money raised was used by the school and The Place to buy more winter clothing for local students.
“People are so appreciative of what we’re doing,” said Colosi. More than 215 families benefited from the this year’s clothing drive, she added. With funds raised by the efforts of Crisler and The Place, a total of $7500 was spent on new clothing to be given to students in need.
Along with serving families that registered prior to the distribution day, Colosi also made two extra purchases of long-sleeve shirts and pants on Wednesday to accommodate walk-in requests. Two hundred coats were also handed out – a majority of which are attributed to donations made by Family Courts, Knights of Columbus and the Bar Association.
The annual clothing drive has been a custom at the school for nearly 30 years but support from The Place has helped make a greater impact, Colosi said. “With the economy as hard as it is, it’s wonderful to see donations coming in,” she said. Fewer families signed up for this year’s clothing drive than in previous years, she added but money spent on new clothing was about the same. “It really shows what inflation is doing on clothes and how it affects families,” she said.
In coming years, Colosi said she and Crisler hope to make the clothing drive more of a community project, encouraging even more businesses and local charities to chime in. “I really have a lot of gratitude for the community and all the help and donations received,” she said.