Coat drive was overwhelming success
Harold Hawkins is a dry cleaner who could. And did.
He launched a coat drive for a second year, hoping customers would drop off at least 160 coats, as they did last year, for him to clean and donate to Springs Rescue Mission.
Hawkins was in for a shock — and a lot of pressing moments at his shop, Continental Cleaners, 1043 N. Academy Blvd.
Final coat count: 931.
He said coats came in for weeks after a December Gazette story about the drive.
“It was just mountains of coats. It was crazy,” Hawkins said. “When we did 160 last year, I thought that was pretty good.”
That wasn’t all. People dropped off about 45 large trash bags of items, he said. Those bags contained about 5,000 sweaters, jeans, mittens, scarves, hats and blankets.
“They brought in so much stuff. It was mind-boggling,” he said.
It was also more than his washing machine could handle.
A friend, John Gimbrone, manager of Laundry Time, 1185 N. Circle Dr., saved the day.
“He saw the huge boxes. And he said, ‘If I can be of help, just bring them down and I’ll wash them for you,’” Hawkins said. “He would load up six or seven washers.”
All garments were laundered. Every coat was cleaned and plastic wrapped on a hanger. Hawkins said it cost him less than $500.
“There are 931 people out there who are better off,” Hawkins said. Some of the coats were given to people in need at Salvation Army dinners.
Hawkins plans to do the coat drive again next year. Gimbrone plans to help.
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Call the writer at 636-0253.
