Donated Coats and More Take the Bite Out of Winter

Donated Coats and More Take the Bite Out of Winter

Staff Relations Committee members Shirley Foster (left) and Marissa Michaels prepare donations for pickup by Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights.

This winter won’t be quite so cold for some Chicago residents thanks to the generosity of faculty and staff of the Feinberg School. Mounds of coats, snowsuits, hats, scarves, gloves, and comforters were donated in this year’s Winter Outerwear Drive sponsored by the Staff Relations Committee. Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights delivered the warm clothing and blankets to residents of the Cabrini Green public housing development.

“It is with the support of community outreach groups such as yours that we are able to brighten the lives of those who are most in need,” says Cherrell Jackson, community resources coordinator for the non-profit organization.

Heartland Alliance helps people living in poverty or danger improve their lives and realize their human rights. Through a diverse offering of programs, they serve people who are the hardest to reach, including survivors of violence, torture, and war, and people living in extreme hardship or poverty.

In September, the Staff Relations Committee, in conjunction with Heartland Alliance, sponsored a back-to-school supplies drive that provided needy children in Chicago with a variety of school materials ranging from calculators to backpacks.