On Tuesday, December 16, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and New York Cares Executive Director Gary Bagley urged residents to donate coats to the 20th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive. Students from Mott Hall IV middle school in Ocean Hill-Brownsville and the St. Anselm School in Bay Ridge, who have been collecting coats, placed them in the drop-off box at Borough Hall. BP Markowitz commended the students for their hard work, and also donated two coats—one of his, and another from wife Jamie.

“With temperatures dropping and unemployment on the rise, I call on all Brooklynites to bring new or gently used winter coats to Borough Hall now through December 31st for the 20th annual New York Cares Coat Drive,” said BP Markowitz. “Providing a warm coat to someone less fortunate is a tangible way to show the true spirit of the holidays and I know Brooklynites would never want fellow New Yorkers to be left out in the cold.”

For more information, visit www.brooklyn-usa.org, or www.nycares.org

Press release from New York Cares:

(New York, NY) December 16, 2008 – New York Cares Executive Director Gary Bagley and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz today urged Brooklynites to donate coats to the 20th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive. Brooklyn students from Mott Hall IV Middle School and the St. Anselm School placed coats that they collected at their schools into the drop-off box at Borough Hall. Borough President Markowitz commended the students for their hard work, and he also donated two coats—one of his, and another from wife Jamie.

Representatives from Presenting Sponsor Health Plus were also on hand to help with the donations. The New York Cares Coat Drive is an annual citywide tradition that collects over 80,000 winter coats for men, women and children in need throughout the City. Since 1989, New York Cares has collected and distributed more than one million coats. 

“With temperatures dropping and unemployment on the rise, I call on all Brooklynites to bring new or gently used winter coats to Borough Hall now through December 31st for the 20th annual New York Cares Coat Drive,” said Borough President Markowitz. “Providing a warm coat to someone less fortunate is a tangible way to show the true spirit of the holidays and I know Brooklynites would never want fellow New Yorkers to be left out in the cold.”

“This year’s economic crisis is hitting families in Brooklyn especially hard, and we applaud Borough President Markowitz for spearheading this effort to help,” said Mr. Bagley. “The New York Cares Coat Drive is a lifeline for families in need, and thousands of other low income and homeless New Yorkers who would otherwise not have a warm coat for the bitter winter months ahead.  Every year, the need for gently used coats surpasses what we can collect. We urge the residents of Brooklyn to give as generously as they can this holiday season to make the winter warmer for everyone who calls our city home.” 

“This is the fourth year we’ve been the Presenting Sponsor of the New York Cares Coat Drive, and we couldn’t be more pleased with our partnership,” said Executive Director of Health Plus, Tom Early. “Like Health Plus’ programs, the Coat Drive provides a much-needed lifeline to people in need in our community every year.”  

How to Donate a Coat

New Yorkers can donate coats at Brooklyn Borough Hall and at hundreds of public sites around the City, as well as at private sites hosted by caring corporations and civic groups.  New York Cares hopes to collect and distribute more than 80,000 coats to New Yorkers in need by New Year’s Day.  For a full list of collection sites, please visit www.nycares.org.

New Yorkers may donate coats at the following locations until December 31, 2008.  Please visit www.nycares.orgfor exact times and locations.

Anytime – during each organization’s operating hours:

•Every New York City Police precinct (24 hours a day)

•Janovic Plaza Paint and Decorating Centers

•The Pond at Bryant Park (42nd Street and 6th Avenue)

•Oz Moving and Storage locations

•Time Warner Cable stores

•Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island Borough Halls.

Weekdays during the morning commute, 7:30am to 9:30am:

•Grand Central Terminal (Graybar Passage)

•New York Penn Station (LIRR and NJ Transit/Amtrak concourses)

•New York Port Authority Bus Terminal (Main concourse, 42nd St. entrance).

Weekdays 7:00am to 3:00pm:

•U.S. Coast Guard Recruiting and Service Center (Manhattan side).

About the New York Cares Coat Drive

Presenting Sponsor Health Plus is a not-for-profit, multicultural organization that is one of the largest managed care organizations in New York City. Health Plus provides free and affordable healthcare for children and adults in New York City and Nassau County, and currently keeps nearly 280,000 New Yorkers healthy, happy, and strong.

The thousands of coats donated during December will be sorted, and distributed to organizations serving the homeless and other low-income individuals, at a 10,000-square-foot temporary warehouse space generously donated by commercial real estate firm Jack Resnick & Sons.  The New York Cares Coat Drive Warehouse is located at 250 Hudson Street in Hudson Square, 6th floor.

Other sponsors include The New York City Police Department, The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), WNBC 4/Telemundo, Time Warner Cable, UPS, 98.7 Kiss FM, and JWT.  For more information about the New York Cares Coat Drive and drop-off sites, the public can visit www.nycares.orgor call (212) 402-1173.

About New York Cares

New York Cares is New York City’s leading volunteer organization.  Founded in 1987, New York Cares enables 43,000 New Yorkers each year to serve on hands-on volunteer projects that help New Yorkers in need break the cycle of poverty and build better lives. 

New York Cares offers a full range of volunteer opportunities that meet critical social needs, including helping children learn to read, preparing meals for homeless and housebound people, helping low income students get into college, delivering job training to unemployed men and women, revitalizing public parks and schools, providing companionship and meals to the elderly, giving coats to those who don’t have them, and much more.  Last year, New York Cares volunteers helped 450,000 New Yorkers in need.  For more information about New York Cares, visit www.nycares.org.