Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/21/2023
HADLEY – UMassFive College Credit Union recently completed its annual winter clothing drive. With three different collection points, the credit union amassed enough donations to supply two different survival centers. This marks a successful campaign after the drive took a multiple-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Vice President of Marketing Craig Boivin explained that the drive was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic due to a lack of storage space, but that it was back in full effect for this year, with donations coming from a variety of sources.
“When we last spoke, I let you know that we used to do this annually, but during the [coronavirus] pandemic we weren’t able to. One of the reasons why was because the survival centers were using the space that they would normally use to store the clothes for food, because food insecurity became such a pressing need during that time. So it was really great to get back to being able to run the drive this year. We ended up getting hundreds of winter coats and clothes through the generosity of our members, our staff and folks in the local community who heard we were running the drive,” Boivin said.
Clothing was collected in Hadley, Northampton and Springfield, and then distributed in Amherst and Springfield. This marks a change for the organization; in past years, clothing was only distributed in Amherst.
“We were [collecting donations] at our Northampton branch, our Hadley branch and our Springfield branch at Mercy Medical Center. It was tough to say [which branch collected the most clothes]; some years we do a count, but this year we just wanted to get everything to the folks quickly because it was during the colder part of this winter…I’d say the distribution was pretty even, which was nice too because it told me that the message got received in different cities and towns and folks were ready to pitch in,” Boivin said. “We were able to donate those to two different places: the Amherst Survival Center was one, and that’s a group we’ve worked with for many years now, but we also engaged with the Gray House, which is in Springfield, and they also accepted some of the winter clothes we collected.”
The decision to expand distribution to Springfield came from the desire to help those in need throughout the entire Western Massachusetts community. Boivin said the decision was a success.
“Yeah, [it was our first time working with the Gray House]. We were looking to establish [a connection with] a local nonprofit whose helping some of the most vulnerable folks in our communities down in the Hampden County area too, because we know this doesn’t just impact folks in a certain area. We approached the Gray House, located in the North End of Springfield, and they were really happy to team up with us, so I think that’s going to be a continued partnership in the future which is great,” Boivin said.
In terms of the actual items donated, coats were most prevalent, but all manner of winter clothing was received.
“It’s amazing how many different things we get, but yeah jackets are definitely the most donated [item], and not just adult ones either; we get a lot of kids clothing, which I thought was wonderful. We also got a lot of scarves, hats, winter gloves, some sweaters and things like earmuffs too. A lot of it is folks just going through their closets and doing a little spring cleaning…We were pleased by the community response,” Boivin said.
The collection window for the winter clothing drive has ended for the year. However, UMassFive is currently planning its next drive, which will most likely be for personal care and hygiene products sometime in the spring.
“The drive is all done at this point. We are working on our next drive though, and this is not 100 percent official yet, but we’re trying to coordinate a personal care drive in March. We would be asking folks to donate things like soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. A lot of times when we think about people’s needs, it’s concentrated on food and clothing, which it should be because those are two big needs, but the personal care piece is still important too. We all go to the store and buy soap and shampoo, and I think we’ve all experienced how much those prices have gone up in the past couple years, so the personal care drive is another great way to give back to folks who may be feeling the squeeze in their budget,” Boivin said.
Boivin gave thanks to all those involved with the drive, and reaffirmed the UMassFive mission of service to its community.
“I want to give a sincere thank you to the folks who the time to bring in clothes to help us with these efforts,” Boivin said. “That’s what UMassFive is all about; we strive to be a community you can count on within Western Mass. Look out for us at future community events and doing future community fundraising initiatives just like this.”