Warming up to a good idea
Coats-to-Coast drive collects winter wear for those in need
By Louisa Taylor, The Ottawa Citizen
Erica Bregman was clearing out her closet last September when she had one of those little epiphanies
that grows into a big idea.
"I realized that if I have coats to donate, other people probably do, too; and wouldn't it be great to get everyone to clean out their closet and collect the coats for people who need them," says Bregman, 32.
Soon Bregman, who works at Jewish Family Services (JFS), had enlisted the city's nine Jewish congregations to help out, and Coats-to-Coast was born: a one-day "coat drive" this Sunday. People can drop off warm coats and boots at any synagogue in Ottawa, for redistribution to people who need winter wear.
One local temple, Agudath Israel on Coldrey Avenue,
has been doing its own coat drive for five years
to benefit clients of a JFS program called Street Smarts, an outreach program for the city's homeless.
The synagogue agreed to Bregman's idea of expanding the drive across the city and adding another beneficiary -- the Labrador Friendship Centre, in Goose Bay.
The centre supports the Innu, Inuit and Métis communities in Labrador with social and cultural programs as well as a hostel and cafeteria. |
Erica Bregman of Jewish Family Services has her hands full
as she organizes Sunday's Coats-to-Coast 'coat drive.'
Photograph by: Bruno Schlumberger, The Ottawa Citizen |
"We wanted to do something locally, and also to help another community," says Bregman. "When I contacted
the Labrador Friendship Centre, they told me they could definitely use what we're gathering, and distribute it through their soup kitchen."
Getting nine local congregations -- seven with temples and two without -- to act as coat depots was the easy part, says Bregman. Much harder was figuring out how to get the coats to Labrador.
"It's not easy getting into Labrador," says Bregman, who investigated several options before someone put her
in touch with a Labrador trucking company. "It's a dream come true -- PSP Overland, a division of Transforce,
has stepped forward and said they'd like to partner with us."
After the coat drive, volunteers will deliver the coats to the JFS headquarters on Carling Avenue for sorting: one pile for Ottawa, one pile for Labrador. Bregman has already got 10 bags stashed at the office from early donations, and has put out a call for volunteers to help sort.
PSP Overland will pick up the Labrador shipment the week of Nov. 23, and Bregman expects it to arrive in Labrador by mid-December.
The coat drive fits elegantly into Bregman's mandate as co-ordinator of the agency's Jewish Connection Program, which aims to build relationships within the community and to the wider city.
"The nature of my job is to create projects to engage people in the community on a social justice level," says Bregman. "The giving of a warm coat is not only helping a person keep warm, but is educating the donor concerning poverty in Canada. No one should go without a proper winter coat in a country as prosperous as Canada.
"An event like this helps people express their values."
The Coats-to-Coast event will be accepting warm winter gear -- coats and snow boots for adults and children -- from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Organizers ask that the coats be warm and in good condition -- no light sweaters or frayed jean jackets, please.
Drop-off synagogues:
- Temple Israel Ottawa, 1301 Prince of Wales Dr.
- Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad, 111 Lamplighters Dr.
- Congregation Beit Tikvah, 15 Chartwell Ave.
- Agudath Israel, 1400 Coldrey Ave.
- Congregation Beth Shalom, 151 Chapel St.
- Congregation Machzikei Hadas, 2310 Virginia Dr.
- Young Israel, 627 Kirkwood Ave.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Jewish Family Services wishes to extend its sincere appreciation to the Synagogues and people of Ottawa
who have generously contributed to our mission to positively impact people in need through direct social service.
Because of your generosity, Coats-to-Coast, a fall coat drive, collected over 750 winter coats and 125 pair of boots for people in Ottawa and Labrador. Your help will make a difference in the lives of so many.
Special thanks to TST Overland Express for generously providing the transportation of coats and boots
to the Labrador Friendship Centre in Goose Bay, NL.
Mark Zarecki,
Executive Direction
Erica Bregman,
Jewish Outreach Coordinator
Beneficiary Agencies:
StreetSmarts
Shepherds of Good Hope
St.Joe’s Women Shelter
Snowsuit Fund
Labrador Friendship Centre
Coats-to-Coast 2009 Volunteers:
Susan Marcus
Rebecca Silver
Mark Silver
Barbara Siegel
Avidan Aaraneau
Noam Stulberg
Ariel Kagedan
Suzi Shore-Sauve
Glenna Tapper
Noah Viner
Judith Wexler
Maggie Lederman
Donna Strauss
Howard Strauss
Jarrod Miller
Jack Boubil
Isabelle Lachance
Jonathan Wouk
Judith Wouk
Allen Abramson
Galit Hershkovitz
Edith Landau
Ilana Rabin
Boris Beri
Brenda Vellino
Andre Vellino
Rabbi Mark Friedman
Olga Timakova
Shaina Lipsey
Cathy MacKay
Sandy Bregman
Sheilagh Segman
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