Project Warmth drive collects over 1,500 coast for poor
By LIZ ZANONI
News Writer
More than 20 plastic bags stuffed with coats were blocking the main hallway in the Center of Social Concerns building Tuesday waiting to be sent to homeless people around the nation. Project Warmth, whose efforts resulted in over 1,500 donated coats and jackets from the Notre Dame community, has come to an end again this year.
"This was absolutely the best year in terms of awareness, support, and coordination," said University of Notre Dame Hammes Bookstore director Jim O'Conner who worked with the task force of Notre Dame students running Project Warmth.
Started in 1996 with the partnership between the CSC, GEAR for Sports, and the Notre Dame Bookstore, the project has worked hard to both collect coats from the Notre Dame community for distribution and enhance the Notre Dame effort of compassion and care to the poor in local communities. In the past four years, they have collected and distributed over 6,100 coats to both shelters in the South Bend area and out-of-state sights such as Loaves and Fishes in Hinton, West Virginia and the Red Cloud Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
For next year, the Project Warmth task force will focus on increasing awareness of homelessness and looking outside of the University to encourage the donation of coats.
"I hope that it would expand beyond the campus," said Kate Flanagan, the task force member in charge of publicity.
Task force coordinator Junior Judson Strauch said that Project Warmth wants to use the Internet as a tool to reach out to alumni and encourage them to send coats in from across the nation. The Internet will also be utilized to post statistics, information, and articles focusing on combating the reality of homelessness in America
Project Warmth is also plans to have a contest between clubs to collect the greatest number of coats. Currently, this contest takes place between residence halls. The winner receives an award of $ 1,000 and the runner up receives a check for $ 500.
"It will not take the place of the dorm competition but will supplement it," said Strauch. Strauch said that by expanding the contest to clubs, Project Warmth hopes to provide more sources where students can learn about the importance of holding the coat drive.
Project Warmth task force members sacrificed tailgating time before home football game this year to hand out pamphlets and information to the crowds of people visiting the bookstores on game day, said O'Conner.
O'Conner was impressed with the student task force, and in particular Strauch, who even painted his face green to promote Project Warmth and reach out to alumni and visitors.
GEAR Sports donated 300 free coats to Project Warmth, said Strauch. GEAR Sports also sponsored much of the publicity efforts around campus including posters and table tents for the dinning halls and door hangers, said Flanagan.
Students who donated coats received a 25 percent discount on the purchase of a new GEAR for Sorts outerwear item at the Bookstore. The collected coats and jackets will go to St. Michael's Laundry, who are cleaning the coats free of charge before they are distributed.
All News Stories for Thursday, December 7, 2000
