Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/21/2017
EAST LONGMEADOW – The First Congregational Church in East Longmeadow is hosting a “One Warm Coat” drive for the third year in a row.
As told by Laura Palmer, who is on the church’s Mission and Outreach Committee, the idea to do a coat drive all sparked from a challenge by a Wilbraham church.
“Wilbraham and Monson Congregational were inviting us to participate in the One Warm Coat Drive. To make it interesting, their Missions Committee was challenging our Missions and Outreach Committee to a friendly competition, who could collect the most coats over one month’s period. Well, by the time we received this challenge, November had already started and we knew we were behind the eight-ball,” Palmer shared.
Following the 2015 drive, The First Congregational Church came in third place behind Wilbraham and Monson Congregational. In 2016, The First Congregational Church came back prepared and ready for the challenge.
“Our church started asking for donations at the beginning of the month. We were fortunate to have several outside groups using our church hall in November, so they were asked to help us in our coat drive,” Palmer explained. “Even Costco in West Springfield got wind of our collection and donated 30 brand new coats. We were delighted.”
By the time December 2016 came around, East Longmeadow’s One Warm Coat Drive collected 296 coats, surpassing the competition.
This year, though the churches are not competing, the First Congregational Church has a goal of receiving 150 coats. If the church is successful in this, they will consider continuing it as an annual mission project. Last year’s coats were delivered to the Springfield Rescue Mission, and they’re planning on the same distribution area this year.
One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need and raises awareness of the vital need for warm coats. One Warm Coat runs a coast-to-coast challenge every year.
The First Congregational Church is located at 7 Somers Rd., at the East Longmeadow rotary. Coats are to be donated in the church’s breezeway in the large box. The coats must be clean and either new or gently worn. The One Warm Coat drive will end on Dec. 3.