MINNEAPOLIS — A total of 9,500 children’s and adult coats were collected by Pilgrim Dry Cleaners in its 2016 drive, the business reports.
“This year, our communities donated so generously to help those less fortunate,” says Bonnie Engler, president of Pilgrim. After the coats were collected and cleaned, the dry cleaner distributed the coats to local charities.
Since 1986, the business has been helping people in need in the local community, and this year’s effort was the most successful in recent years, according to Pilgrim.
Engler’s father, founder Don Rosen, who died in 2015, started the first community drive when a woman came in to his store asking if he had extra coats that he could give her, the company writes. This sparked creation of the annual “Coats For Kids” drive.
The need in the community for warm clothing during the harsh winter months continues to expand, Pilgrim says, so it continues to provide help for those in need each year.
“We try to create a culture at Pilgrim Cleaners that encourages and teaches our employees and customers to give back to those in need in the community,” says Engler.
The business also reports having had a “record year” for its other community drives. In October, Pilgrim teamed with local news channel Fox9 to collect, clean, and distribute 1,100 Halloween costumes for kids. During the month of July, the company had a “Scouting For Uniforms” drive, which collected, cleaned, and distributed 380 Boy Scout uniforms.
Currently, Pilgrim is working through inventory to donate to “Suits for Soldiers.”
“Together we can make a difference,” says Engler. “Our founder, my father, lived his life this way. It is a wonderful feeling for those who embrace it.”
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