Hollister
– Local girl scouts are spreading warmth throughout the
community this holiday season with a used coat drive that will
benefit hundreds of San Benito County’s needy this year.
Hollister – Local girl scouts are spreading warmth throughout the community this holiday season with a used coat drive that will benefit hundreds of San Benito County’s needy this year.
“We’re really proud of all of the girls,” said Jayme Pulliam, a local Girl Scout leader who helped organize the drive.
During the week before Halloween, Girl Scouts collected used coats from around the community, and managed to get more than 650 together. Scouts went door to door picking up coats from people who had expressed an interest in donating, and a drop-off station was set up at Veterans Memorial Park. Local businesses Heritage Cleaners, Fashion Cleaners and Nob Hill Cleaners then donated their services in order to make sure the coats were in good condition and could be distributed.
Coats were then distributed over the past few weeks to local organizations that serve those in need and can identify locals who need them.
“We sent a lot of the children’s jackets to Chamberlain’s (Children Center), a lot went to the welfare department and homeless shelter, and some went to the Women’s and Men’s club,” Pulliam said. “We have some waiting for Emmaus House, if they want any, and now we’re just waiting for the next batch of 200 to get cleaned.”
This drive was unique in that it involved the combined effort of every Girl Scout in San Benito County. Individual troops participate in community service activities throughout the year, but such a large effort is not as common. According to Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay Spokeswoman Juliana Molina, there are more than 350 Girl Scouts ages 5 to 18 in San Benito County alone.
“One of the other troops tried this last year and it was pretty successful,” Pulliam said. “So we wanted to get everybody involved this year.”
The coat drive benefits not only those who receive the coats, but also the scouts themselves, Pulliam said.
“I think this gives them the feeling they’ve done something important, and it shows they care,” she said. “They weren’t doing this for an award or merit badges or anything; they just really care from the bottom of their hearts.”
Scouts also volunteer for the local animal shelter, participate in downtown cleanups and graffiti abatement days, and volunteer for community events throughout the rest of the year.
“We hope that by having them volunteer, the girls see that they can make a difference at a young age, and get a sense of their community,” Molina said.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com.
