As the temperatures continue to drop, more and more local residents will be looking to the Tyrone Salvation Army and the efforts of the local Kiwanis Club to help warm them this holiday season.
\nThe annual Used Coat and Boot Drive is continuing in Tyrone, and according to organizers, the community\u2019s support has been unequivocal.
\n\u201cI\u2019m never done being amazed for what this community does for each other,\u201d said Major Karen Garrett of the Salvation Army. \u201cWithout them, the Salvation Army and all its efforts would be nothing.\u201d
\nGarrett said the annual Used Coat and Boot Drive began about five years ago, and since that time, the program has grown proportionately. Currently, there are about 200 coats that hang on racks at the Salvation Army\u2019s Christmas House, located across from the Salvation Army\u2019s Tyrone Headquarters on West Tenth Street.
\nGarrett said anyone \u2013 whether an infant, child, teenager or adult \u2013 who needs a winter coat, boots or gloves during the winter season can stop and pick something out at no charge. She said there will be no questions asked.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t ask for names, addresses or financial status,\u201d said Garrett. \u201cIf you need a coat, you need a coat.\u201d
\n Garrett said the Salvation Army is gladly accepting coat, boot and glove donations. Those items can be dropped off at the Christmas House, which is being generously donated by Snyder Township resident Rose Black, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
\nThese are also the hours that the clothing articles can be picked up.
\n\u201cEverything we have is pretty nice,\u201d said Garrett. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for also. We want winter coats and not spring jackets. They must be clean and in pretty good condition.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re getting more and more requests for coats as the temperatures go down so we urge residents to look in their closets and see if they have any coats they aren\u2019t using.\u201d
\nGarrett praised the Kiwanis Club for the group\u2019s annual \u201cUsed Coat and Boot Drive.\u201d
\n\u201cWe have received a lot of coats already and many of these are for children,\u201d explained Drive Chairperson Carol Anderson. She indicated that the drive will continue until next weekend with the final day set for Nov. 30. \u201cSince it is getting colder, many families are beginning to get their winter coats out of storage. As you do so, if you find coats that are too small, please consider bringing them to one of our drop-off points to be distributed to others in need.\u201d
\nAnderson and Garrett both expressed appreciation for the number of coats received during the recent \u201cStop and Drop Day.\u201d More than 150 coats were brought to the truck when it was parked at the corner of Logan Avenue and 14th Street.
\nGarrett also noted a food distribution date for needy families in the area. She said on Dec. 16, the Salvation Army will be bagging food items and distributing these rations to families in need of a good, hearty meal during the holiday season.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re expecting to provide a good meal for about \u2013 and this is a round figure \u2013 200 families,\u201d said Garrett. \u201cEach of these bags will last each family for about a week, and hopefully because of them, these families will have the opportunity to enjoy a good Christmas dinner in 2002.\u201d
\nAnderson said each bag will contain, at least, a turkey, real potatoes and vegetables. The food will be provided by BiLo and the Food Bank Center in Altoona.
\nFamilies must sign-up to be eligible for the food distribution. If you feel that your family is eligible, contact 684-0560.
\nAlso, the Salvation has developed an Angel Tree in the Christmas House. This tree is decorated with small angels detailing a gift suggestion for children.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re hoping that people will come in, select an angel off the tree and then use the printed suggestion to purchase a new toy for kids in this community,\u201d said Anderson. These toys will also be distributed on Dec. 16.
\n\u201cThere was a woman in here (Monday) who bought 10 gifts for the children,\u201d said Anderson.
\nAnderson said that if anyone would like to make a monetary contribution to the Salvation Army\u2019s effort, they can be mailed to The Salvation Army, PO Box H, Tyrone, PA 16686.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the temperatures continue to drop, more and more local residents will be looking to the Tyrone Salvation Army and the efforts of the local Kiwanis Club to help warm them this holiday season. The annual Used Coat and Boot Drive is continuing in Tyrone, and according to organizers, the community\u2019s support has been unequivocal. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}