OKLAHOMA CITY – Our superstar community partners once again are joining forces to do the most good with the ‘Warmth 4 Winter’ program.
Legacy Cleaners and Laundry is back to give your gently used coat donations a good wash.
“All of our employees look forward to it every year and the customers like it,” owner Monte Turrentine said.
Two Men and a Truck is on board for a third straight year, loaning us their trucks and crew members to help pick up the coats and haul them around Oklahoma City.
There was a time when Two Men and a Truck’s co-owner Adam Mecke didn’t have a coat as a kid.
Things have come full circle.
“I remember the coat still had a tag on it. It was a new coat, which [gave me] self-confidence as well, going to the bus stop, but then going into school with a new coat, but I would have been happy with anything because it was cold,” he said.
It was on a cold Oklahoma day many years ago that Brad Edwards kept noticing kids playing outside in the freezing cold without coats.
He did something about it, helping birth our ‘Warmth 4 Winter’ program.
“It is fun to be hands on and be directly involved and to see that tangible act of love happen,” said Major Stephen Ellis, commander of The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area command.
Dee Watts is one of the human angels who actually gets to hand out the coats. One little girl in particular left a lasting impression on her heart.
“Her favorite color was purple, so I had to make it a point to go on back there and find her that purple coat and we did,” Dee said. “And the little mittens and the little cap and when she danced around, twirled around, it just made me happy that she was so pleased.”
No one should go without a warm coat this winter.
Being able to gift a coat to someone who needs it is one of the best feelings.
We have coat drop off boxes at dozens of locations around town.