coat drive

Wed
28
Dec

Still Time to Fulfill 1,000 Coat Goal; “Coat Guy” Helps Out Maine Shelter

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Livingston Philanthropies founder and director Jeff “The Coat Guy” Friedman has reminded residents that there is still time to donate coats to help fulfill the Livingston Coat Drive’s goal of delivering 1,000 coats by the end of 2016. “It’s December 29, and we’re hoping to have collected the 200 additional coats we need to hit the 1,000 mark by the end of 2016,” says Friedman. “We are asking our philanthropic friends and neighbors to dig deep for the poor, homeless, and disenfranchised.”
Meanwhile, although the Coat Guy is spending New Year’s in Maine, he is keeping busy there too, helping out a local shelter. “I saved a box of brand new teddy bears, donated by a generous Livingston resident, to bring north,” he notes. “After all, there is lots of homelessness and similar issues in Maine, as there is everywhere.”

Tue
22
Nov

Livingston Philanthropies Welcomes New Distribution Partner

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“It’s been quite a week for the Livingston Philanthropies,” announced founder and director Jeff “The Coat Guy” Friedman. “So far, volunteers delivered over 400 warm coats, hundreds of toiletries gift bags, cosmetics and a plethora of high-quality men’s suits, sports jackets and other men’s dress attire. But this is just the beginning. Nighttime temperatures dropped into the 30’s this week. That means hundreds of homeless men, women and children will be on the streets without coats or winter accessories like hats, gloves and scarves. It also means that donations are needed more than ever – right now.!”

Wed
16
Mar

Coat Drive Concludes Another Successful Season; Coat Guy to Conduct One-Month Toiletries Drive

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The Livingston Coat Drive, founded and directed by Livingston resident Jeff Friedman, has concluded for the 2015-16 season, with a total count that exceeds last year's total by one.
"Here at the Livingston Coat Drive, we are careful with our counts. Still, it's fair to say that the numbers could be off by one or two percent, one way or the other," explained Friedman, who is known affectionately as "The Coat Guy." That being said, the final count of winter coats and jackets for the 2015-16 season, he noted, "comes in at 2,131 in 31 deliveries, relative to 2,130 last season. Exactly one coat ahead! In addition, we collected 407 sport coats/jackets."
The number of donations during the Coat Drive's five years of operation totals 6,448 warm coats and jackets. "Averaging three pounds per garment, that’s some 19,344 pounds or 9.672 tons of warmth!" said the Coat Guy.

Thu
10
Mar

Saint Barnabas Steps Up For the Homeless

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SAINT  BARNABAS  STEPS  UP  FOR  THE  HOMELESS:  The Saint Barnabas Medical Center Standards Committee, headed by director of Human Services Carol Haynes and nurse manager Fran Bianchi, worked to collect winter accessories for the homeless. Livingston Coat Drive founder and director Jeff Friedman, known as “the Coat Guy,” recently met with committee members at the medical center to speak about the Coat Drive and volunteerism. After his talk,they presented him with four large boxes of handmade and new winter items, many for children, carefully sorted and all individually bagged. “At first, I thought I was at the Short Hills Mall,” commented Friedman. The donations were given to Saint John’s Parish and Pantry/Soup Kitchen in Newark the same day.

Wed
02
Mar

Coat Drive Donations Slightly Ahead of Last Year; "Personal Shopping for the Homeless" Continues

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The Livingston Coat Drive continues to request warm coats, gloves, hats and scarves, and men’s dress attire, including suits, sport coats, dress slacks, dress shirts and neckties. "We will continue to deliver these badly needed items to the poor, homeless and disenfranchised through Friday, March 11," said Livingston resident Jeff Friedman, founder and director of the Coat Drive. "The cold weather is still here, and it will continue to be coat season. Is anyone reading this now going outside without a coat/jacket and gloves?"

Wed
24
Feb

Coat Drive Going Strong

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“It’s hard for me to go places in Livingston without receiving winter coats or the promise of future coats and accessories – or perhaps it’s a few nice suits and sport coats,” notes Coat Drive founder and director Jeff Friedman. “This time, I was at Nero’s and ran into a lady named Lynn. She’d had coats in the car all week, but didn’t have time to stop at the Tribune to drop them off. So we went out to the parking lot to get them for the transfer to my trunk!” New and gently used coats, winter accessories, and men’s dresswear may be dropped locally at the Tribune office at 495 South Livingston Avenue (next to ShopRite); and at West Orange Jewelers, 16 Eisenhower Parkway, Roseland. For private pick-up in Livingston, e-mail Freidman at jftv1@verizon.net.

Wed
17
Feb

“Personal Shopping for the Homeless” Yields Results; Coat Donations Pass 2,000; Hundreds More Needed

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Livingston Coat Drive volunteers prepared for last weekend’s “beyond freezing” temperatures by delivering 70 winter coats and several big bags of winter accessories to United Missionary Baptist Church in East Orange. “United Missionary Baptist has been a Coat Drive distribution associate since day one, some five years ago,” noted Coat Drive founder and coordinator Jeff “The Coat Guy” Friedman. “While the city’s major food and coat closet operations provide vital services to large groups, smaller, local churches like United Missionary Baptist are doing this important community work, too.”

Thu
11
Feb

Coat Drive Volume Requires 2 SUVs for Delivery; Additional Coat Donations Needed Immediately

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Being poor, homeless or disenfranchised just got more difficult in New Jersey, announced Jeff Friedman, founder and coordinator of the Livingston Coat Drive. “According to a story posted on nj.com, thousands of low-income and disabled New Jersey residents, some since July, are having their emergency housing assistance programs cut by New Jersey’s Department of Human Services. But, under a bill a Senate committee approved last week, more than 3,000 in this group could receive help paying their rent, if approved by the full legislature,” he noted.

Wed
03
Feb

Dayton H.S. Collects for Livingston Coat Drive; New Distribution Associate Visits ‘Coat Drive Central’

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As temperatures have been dropping, the Livingston Coat Drive has been heating up, reports founder and coordinator Jeff “The Coat Guy” Friedman. “To date, 1,733 warm coats, along with hundreds of winter accessories, and 349 men’s suits, sport coats and dress slacks have been donated by kind residents and delivered to multiple distribution associates by Coat Drive volunteers. Garments continue to arrive and ship straight out to those in need.” The collection effort is expected to continue at least through the end of this month, he noted, adding, “It’s not too late for our philanthropic residents to bring their unused winter coats, scarves, hats and gloves to the offices of the West Essex Tribune, located at 495 South Livingston Avenue next to ShopRite.”

Wed
27
Jan

Coats & Accessories Delivered in Time for Blizzard; "Personal Shopping" Initiative Fulfills Special Need

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Livingston Coat Drive volunteers delivered 118 warm coats and multiple bags of winter accessories to North Reformed Church in Newark, in time to be distributed to the homeless and poor prior to the blizzard last weekend.
One of these presentations held special meaning for Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and coordinator of the Livingston Coat Drive. “I have known Lawrence, a kitchen worker at the North Reformed Church soup kitchen, for the three seasons that North Reformed has been a key Coat Drive distribution partner. Lawrence presents a special need in terms of the extreme size he requires. Our ‘Personal Shopping for the Homeless’ initiative answered his need with a new winter jacket, fleece under-jacket, and winter gloves. It was a beautiful thing to see.”

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