Bundle Up Butler distributes winter coats
To quote a certain HBO series, “winter is coming,” and not all Butler residents are adequately prepared to face the bitter Western Pennsylvania cold.
Butler’s Center for Community Resources came to assist with the annual Bundle Up Butler coat drive, held Friday morning at the Butler City Farmer’s Market building on Chestnut Street.
Demand was high, as every parking spot was taken up at the farmer’s market building and within a half-mile radius around it. Despite this, there were plenty of coats to go around. For weeks before the event, people donated their used winter wear to the cause, while other coats were purchased by the center outright.
Hayley Merchant, senior director of programs for CCR, estimated they would give away between 1,000 and 1,200 coats on Friday, as well as gloves and hats.
“We have years of data in regards to what the community needs,” Merchant said. “Typically, we purchase coats on that data, so we're able to really stock up where we need it.”
Volunteers laid coats out on tables according to size. While there were some adult-sized coats up for grabs, the majority of the coats were for children. According to Merchant, those are the ones that are in the highest demand.
“The littler kid coats … usually, they're able to be recycled because those ages aren't as hard on their coats as the older kids are,” Merchant said. “Usually eight and up are the coats that we see a great demand for.”
For the past few years, Bundle Up Butler had to switch up its usual format in response to COVID-19. From 2020-2022, coat recipients were required to sign up to receive their coats in advance, and no one could try on their coats before picking them up.
This year, Bundle Up Butler is back to the way it was before COVID-19.
“During COVID, we did the advance sign-up to limit contact. But now it’s post-COVID, so we’re bringing the event back to live in-person,” Merchant said. “So people just show up and get what they need.”
Aside from the Center for Community Resources, a host of other community agencies set up shop around the farmer’s market building to promote the services they offer. These included Glade Run Lutheran Services, LIFE Butler County, the Lighthouse Foundation, and Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV.
Jared Stewart was at the coat drive representing the United Way of Southwest Pennsylvania to distribute free books and information on the 2-1-1 hotline.
“2-1-1’s a 24/7 hotline,” Stewart said. “Our resource navigators can get them connected with services that can help them out with a plethora of challenges. They may be going through food insecurity, rent assistance, utility assistance, things of that nature.”
Lori Hinderliter from the Butler Area Public Library distributed both brochures and “Fiero codes” to advertise one of its new programs.
“The Fiero code is a new program that anyone with a library card can access that’s all about computer coding and video games,” Hinderliter said. “We just put that in there so everybody would know we have a new program.”
