STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York Cares will distribute more than 400 winter coats to Staten Island residents during a community event that will also offer free Medicaid screenings on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
The event, part of the organization’s 37th Annual Coat Drive, will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 120 Victory Blvd. Children, families, and individuals can select and try on coats donated by fellow New Yorkers, according to New York Cares.
Volunteers will be on site to provide free screenings for housing, food, and other services available through Medicaid, as well as assistance with Medicaid registration. New York Cares is partnering with Staten Island Social Care Network and H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths to host the distribution.
The coat drive, which began in 1989 as the city’s first centralized initiative to collect and distribute winter coats across the five boroughs, has helped more than 2.5 million New Yorkers stay warm. Last year, the organization coordinated 654 collection sites, distributed nearly 50,000 coats, and served more than 148 schools and nonprofits.
Through the Coats+ fundraising campaign, New Yorkers can donate gently used coats at collection sites in each borough, set up their own collection site, or donate money to fund the distribution of new coats and other programs aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty.
New York Cares is the city’s largest volunteer network. Over 60,000 New Yorkers volunteered with the organization this past year at more than 400 nonprofits and schools across all five boroughs.