Fitchburg Community Corrections Center Coat Drive Results
In 1,700 Coats for Area Underprivileged

Left to right: Aneida Alvarrado, Probation Officer-In-Charge, Worcester County Men's Center; Marty Wallace, Probation Officer-In-Charge, Fitchburg Community Corrections Center; and Lynn Clifford, Fitchburg Community Corrections Center

Local struggling families were given warm coats to bundle up in this winter thanks to a coat drive run by the Fitchburg Community Corrections Center.

Probation Officer-in-Charge Lynn Clifford of the Fitchburg Community Corrections Center happily reports that the second annual coat drive at the center resulted in the donation of 1,700 coats, 500 more than their goal of 1,200. Coats and outerwear were distributed to families at the Spanish American Center in Leominster on Spruce Street.

This year’s coat drive began after Halloween and ended the first week of the new year. Among the donors were Mount Wachusett Ski Resort, Independent Cleaners and the Applewide School. Local residents also donated winter wear. The coats provided ranged in size from infant to adult. Snow boots and pants for children were also donated.

Clifford started the coat drive last year after discovering there was a real need for warm winter clothing for families in the area.

"The coat drive is a continuation of the services we provided local families in Northern Worcester County," Clifford said.

Next year, Clifford said she hopes to collect even more coats for the area families in need of cold weather gear.