Salvation Army partners with ZIPS Cleaner for annual winter clothing drive
BALTIMORE -- Coats, gloves and hats are a top priority for the average person once the chill of winter has arrived. But for people battling homelessness, those items can mean the difference between life and death.
That's why the Salvation Army of Central Maryland has partnered with Today's 101.9 radio station to keep people warm. Together they participated in an annual clothing drive known as Bundle Up Baltimore.
And this year, ZIPS Cleaners joined the effort.
"I get to have a nice warm home to go to but to imagine . . . to not have that type of security," Millicent Holcomb, the owner of ZIPS Cleaners, said. "I can't wrap my head around it so to me this is a very small piece of just trying to help somebody struggling like that."
Two weeks ago, all 17 ZIPS dry cleaning locations placed bins in their lobbies and asked the community to donate warm outerwear.
Holcomb said she was overwhelmed by the generosity of people.
"The lobbies have been full of bins overflowing with lots of clothes and donations and such," she said. "We have great customers. They are very supportive. I knew they would come out but they came out even more than we even expected."
In 2022, the Salvation Army collected more than 1,200 blankets and coats. It is hoping to surpass that goal in 2023.
"Need does not discriminate with ages." Capt. Katie Bernabe with The Salvation Army said. "So, we are taking for kids, for seniors, for adults, for men, for women, for everybody because it is the difference of being comfortable and surviving or not."
The donations will be sorted at The Salvation Army's warehouse.
Afterward, they will pass out the warm gear to people in need at their feeding program in Baltimore. The program helps more than 250 people every night for six nights.
