ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Catholic Charities of Tompkins and Tioga is seeking assistance for its Share the Warmth winter clothing giveaway.

The nonprofit human services group is looking for volunteers and clothing items for the annual event, which distributes thousands of clothing items free of charge to local families in need.

Volunteers would help with set-up, check-in, and distribution of items.

“We are thrilled that we are once again able to host this winter clothing giveaway that helps so many in Tompkins County,” said Renee Spear, Executive Director at Catholic Charities. “The onset of cold weather can be very difficult for the families that we serve, so this clothing is a huge help.”

Anyone interested in volunteering should email Leslie.Mulcahy@dor.org, or call (607) 272-5062.

On the donation side, Catholic Charities seeks new or gently used clean outerwear, including children’s and larger sizes (2X and up), large-sized adult boots, coats, snow pants, other size boots, blankets, hats, and mittens.

Drop Box Locations:

  • Agway Ace Hardware
  • Island Health & Fitness, Taughannock Blvd.
  • Island Health & Fitness, Community Corners
  • Ithaca Community Childcare Center
  • Kendal at Ithaca
  • Seneca Place/Hilton Garden Inn
  • Triphammer Marketplace
  • IC Campus Center Lobby
  • Mama Goose
  • P&C Fresh
  • St. Catherine of Siena
  • Kinney Drugs, Dryden
  • N.E.T. Catholic Churches
  • St. James Catholic Church (Trumansburg)
  • T-Burg Shur Save
  • Beginnings Credit Union
  • Northeast Pediatrics

Distribution will take place November 30 to December 11, excluding weekends, at the Catholic Charities location on West Buffalo Street in Ithaca.

Share the Warmth is a partnership between Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga, Cornell University, Ithaca College, Dryden and Ithaca Rotary Clubs, Fingerlakes ReUse, and Triphammer Partners LLC. The program was started by the Ithaca Rotary Club at Cornell in 1987 and expanded to all of Tompkins County in 1993.

In related news, Volunteers of America Upstate New York is seeking similar donations for the upcoming Code Blue season at the Tompkins County emergency cold-weather shelter in Ithaca.