Winter Coat Drive Aims To Aid Needy Morris County Residents

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Communities throughout Morris County are taking part in this year's Jersey Cares Annual Coat Drive, where new and "gently used" winter coats will be collected for those in need.

In Morris Township, collection will continue until Dec. 21, with drop-off at the Morris Township Municipal Building, 50 Woodland Avenue. The municipal building is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

All donated coats should be placed in the large box located in the lobby entrance, officials said.

The collection deadline in Chatham is Dec. 22 at 12 a.m., and donations can be dropped off at C2 Education of Chatham, which is located at 465 Main Street in Chatham.

Residents and local businesses are encouraged to donate coats to the organization, which will be distributed to needy men, women and children in the area.

The Jersey Cares Coat Drive has collected and distributed thousands of "gently used" winter coats to men, women, children and infants in need for the past 26 years. Jersey Cares collected over 20,000 coats throughout New Jersey last year, officials said.

Monarch Housing Associates, a local non-profit, recently released its 2022 Point-In-Time Count of the Homeless report, which includes data collected by county staff, government officials and local nonprofit organizations that surveyed people staying outdoors in late January.

According to the 2022 Point-In-Time Count, there were 6,631 households, including 8,754 people, experiencing homelessness in the state of New Jersey on the night of January 25, 2022.

The report shows that Morris County had a total of 351 homeless people as of January, which represents four percent of the state's unhoused population.

This year, Jersey Cares intends to collect and distribute over 30,000 "gently used" winter coats to help those people in need.

"More than just an article of clothing, your coat can open opportunities for someone who needs one. You can enable a job-seeker to continue his search during the winter. You can enable a student to focus on her studies in a cold classroom. Or you can help a senior go out for medication in a storm. What to you is a coat hanging in the back of your closet can be a life-changing support for someone in need," Jersey Cares said.