Tuesday, November 17, 2015

NYC POLICE DEPARTMENT KICKS OFF 27TH ANNUAL NEW YORK CARES COAT DRIVE



NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF OF TRANSIT JOSEPH FOX AND FORMER NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR EMEKA OKAFOR KICKOFF THE 27TH ANNUAL NEW YORK CARES COAT DRIVE

New York Cares Needs Coats Immediately; Already Received Requests for 100,000 Coats to Date

  New York City Police Department Chief of Transit Joseph Fox and former NBA Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor joined New York Cares today at The Bowery Mission on the Lower East Side to launch the 27th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive.

Chief Fox, Okafor, and New York Cares distributed coats to 100 homeless residents of The Bowery Mission. In addition to today’s coat distribution, another is scheduled on Thursday, December 10th at the Coalition for the Homeless. The need for coats is immediate, as New York Cares has received requests for 100,000 coats to date. In addition, according to the Farmers’ Almanac, the winter of 2015–2016 looks similar to last winter, with bitter cold and snow in New York:http://farmersalmanac.com/weather-outlook/2016-winter-forecast/

From today through Thursday, December 31, 2015 individuals can donate gently used, freshly laundered coats at hundreds of locations throughout the five boroughs including all NYPD Police Precincts, New York Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and many other sites. The New York Cares Coat Drive is in its 27th year and is an annual citywide tradition that has collected more than 1.7 million winter coats for men, women and children in need throughout the city since 1989.

“Building relationships and helping those in need are such characteristic parts of public service – thus it comes as no surprise that our officers are so proud to continue to be a part of this important effort,” said Chief Fox.

“Can you imagine going through an entire winter without a warm coat?” said Gary Bagley, Executive Director at New York Cares. “This is the reality for more than 100,000 New Yorkers, from the homeless to working families forced to make tough choices between rent, food, and warm clothing. We all need to step up and donate a coat this holiday season.”

“With 60,000 men, women and children homeless in New York City, this will be another tough winter for New York’s neediest. Every day at The Bowery Mission, generous New Yorkers help us meet the need,” said David P. Jones, President and CEO of The Bowery Mission. “The New York Cares Coat Drive is another shining example of this generosity. The Bowery Mission is proud to be part of this 27-year tradition.”

New York Cares’ iconic ‘Shivering Statue of Liberty’ Coat Drive PSA will air on the TOSHIBA VISION screens located at the top of One Times Square to raise awareness of the Coat Drive from Tuesday, November 17th to Wednesday, December 30th. The PSA will also appear on billboards, in magazines, and online thanks to efforts by media partners Mindshare, Xaxis, Group M, and Kinetic Worldwide, and will air on NBC 4 New York and Bloomberg TV.

About The 27th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive
The New York Cares Coat Drive is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. Since 1989, New York Cares has collected and distributed more than 1.7 million coats.

The thousands of donated coats will be counted, sorted and distributed to organizations serving the homeless and other low-income New Yorkers, at an 8,600 square foot temporary warehouse space located at 157 West 31st Street in midtown Manhattan. 

The sponsors for this year’s New York Cares Coat Drive are the New York City Police Department, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), Vornado Realty Trust, Toshiba, KKR, Delta Airlines, Mindshare, NBC 4 New York, Bloomberg, and Time Warner Cable.

New Yorkers can make financial donations in support of the Coat Drive and New York Cares’ year-round work online, by text or by mail.  For more information about the New York Cares Coat Drive, locations, news, or to make a financial donation, the public can visit www.newyorkcares.org or call 646-801-4022.

Where to Donate Coats
New Yorkers can donate gently-used, freshly laundered coats at almost 300 public sites around the city, as well as hundreds of private sites hosted by corporations and civic groups. 

New Yorkers may donate coats at the following locations through Thursday, December 31, 2015. Please visitnewyorkcares.org for exact times and locations, and additional collection sites.

·         Every New York City Police Precinct (24 hours a day)
·         Every library branch in the Queens Public Library system (during open hours)
·         The New York Cares Warehouse, 157 West 31st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues (9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday)
·         New York Cares office, 65 Broadway (weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
·         New York Penn Station - LIRR concourse (weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.)
·         Grand Central Terminal - Track 16/Graybar Passage (weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.)
·         And many more sites citywide.
                                                       
About New York Cares
New York Cares is the largest volunteer network in the city. Last year, 62,000 New Yorkers made the city a better place by volunteering in New York Cares programs at 1,400 nonprofits and schools – improving education, meeting immediate needs, and revitalizing public spaces. For more information, visit newyorkcares.org.

About The Bowery Mission
The Bowery Mission has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers since 1879.  This year, The Bowery Mission provided more than 406,000 meals to men, women and children, 91,000 nights of shelter and 44,000 articles of clothing, as well as showers, haircuts, and expert medical and optometric care.  Each meal and every night of shelter is an invitation to residential recovery programs, where men and women get a second chance and lives are transformed from hopelessness to hope.  Last year, the Mission’s residential programs served nearly 300 men and women who are regaining sobriety, reconnecting with family and faith, pursuing educational goals, and preparing for work and independent living.  To ensure that at-risk children have a positive first chance at life, The Bowery Mission’s city camp and summer camp serves nearly 1,200 at-risk children from poor city neighborhoods.  www.bowery.org
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