Share the Warmth – Giving that Impacts Beyond the Holidays
Donated items from the winter coat drive included coats, gloves and scarfs and more. Image courtesy of Sharon Cawthorne
When Twiana Odom looked out her window one day in November and saw a child walking in the neighborhood without a winter coat, she was sparked to do something. As a longtime community activist and Morningside Community Organization (MCO) 1st Vice President, Twiana immediately began to involve partners to help with what she saw as an issue the neighborhood could address.
Her first thought was to benefit the children of the Morningside Hub of Brilliant Detroit at 5048 Balfour. The Hub, managed by Regina Williams, serves families with children 0-8 through reading readiness and life-skills programming. With the goal of meeting community needs, the staff at Brilliant provided a list of clothing needs. It’s widely recognized that the need for cold weather items increases in the winter months, especially for children, who outgrow clothing quickly.
Although Southeast Michigan has had warmer temperatures on average this past year, due to El Niño, local weather services report that temperatures drop November-March with January being the coldest month during the season. Snow isn’t our only indication of frigid air, as January is predicted to have an average low of 21°F and the average high of 32° F’, according to one online source.
Even without the statistics, Jeffrey D. Lewis II, owner and operator of Morningside Café, was a willing partner as a collection site. When the idea was mentioned at a Board meeting, where Jeff also serves as 2nd Vice Chair, he was ready, “We just wanted to assist in any way we could. Whenever we are talking about youth, especially our younger children, we all have to do what we can to make this time of year a little easier for our families that may not have the means to go out and purchase a new winter coat and the necessary accessories for multiple children.”
Donations for the winter coat drive filled in rather quickly at Morningside Cafe. Image courtesy of Jeffrey D. Lewis II
The community support was tremendous. Items included coats, boots, hats, gloves, scarves, socks and sweaters, for children as well as for adults, along with a few educational toys.
Wendy Watson, the new Community Engagement Coordinator at the Balfour St. Hub, says that the adult clothing benefits the families as well, as they consider supporting a clothing closet. She says they always welcome ideas to serve the community, “We have an Open house January 23rd (for potential) advisory team members and volunteers.”
Twiana and Wendy were on hand as the items were delivered to the Brilliant Hub and were really pleased that the donations, which were both gently used and new items, could touch several families and children of all ages. This partnership to meet needs of Morningside is one among many. When asked about having the Café partner with the MCO and Brilliant Detroit, Jeff encourages fellow business owners to be involved. He says, ‘I would say we have a responsibility to help our community whenever we can. When it comes to the kids, it should be an immediate yes.”
If you’re interested in becoming involved with either Brilliant Detroit Morningside or the Morningside Community Organization, their contact information is listed below:
Hub Manager: Regina Williams at (313) 528-7217 or rwilliams@brilliantdetroit.org