The Mahopac community consistently acts when called upon to help those in need and this year’s winter coat drive was no exception.
The Mahopac High School Interact Club partnered with the Mahopac Rotary Club to collect donations of winter coats in November and December of last year.
“We are thrilled with the turnout of the coat drive!” said teacher Szilvia Tobak. “We called our community to action and they responded with compassion and generosity. Our warmth was shared with others in the form of winter coats.”
More than 500 coats were collected and the Interact Club gave them to several charities to distribute to those in need including families right in Mahopac. The districtwide donation drive was spearheaded by student volunteers from the Interact Club who created all of the materials needed to facilitate the coat collection and promote the drive. The volunteers also communicated with all the schools in the District to set up collection boxes and managed the donations.
The coats were distributed by the following charities: Dorothy Day Center in Danbury, CT; the St. Rose School in Newtown, CT; the Putnam Community Action Partnership and Search for Change in Brewster, NY; the Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen in Manhattan; the Women's Resource Center in Mahopac; along with individual families in Mahopac and Putnam County.
Thanks to the students of the Interact Club, the Mahopac Rotary Club, and the community members who donated, hundreds of coats found their way to those who needed them the most.