Bundle Up Butler works to keep Butler warm
Temperatures dropped into the low 40s early Friday morning, Oct. 10. With even lower temperatures in the not-too-distant future, community members are looking to provide others with warm clothing and winter jackets.
These are something the volunteers at Bundle Up Butler want everyone in our community to have access to. The group’s annual winter clothing distribution event Friday, Oct. 10, saw hundreds of local residents show up looking for warm clothing as winter inches closer.
“It’s so important, it’s very much needed, and it’s always very well received,” Tina Teter, a volunteer with Bundle Up Butler, said. “It greatly benefits the community.”
Bundle Up Butler, a program of the Center for Community Resources, has been held at the Butler City Farmers’ Market once a year since 2013, giving out men’s, women’s boys’ and girls’ clothing for the colder months. This includes jackets of all sizes, gloves and winter hats, with children’s winter coats free and adult coats for a suggested $5 donation.
For those in Butler who are facing financial hardships and other struggles, the winter clothing event is a huge help.
“We see people all the time that are lower income, people who are just struggling to pay their monthly bills, and keep food on he table,” Linda Thoma, the event organizer, said. “We know how expensive a new winter coat for a child can be, especially when they outgrow them so quickly.
“It’s something we want to be able to help out with.”
Thoma said on the day of the event, typically around 400 families come through. However, this is only part of the work Bundle Up Butler does, as it provides coats to families throughout the winter.
Through donations, the group said it will end up giving out several thousand coats to Butler families this fall and winter.
“It doesn’t end there, they’ll come through here today but we’ll take phone calls all winter from folks that weren’t able to make it to the event, or someone ends up homeless and they need a coat,” Thoma said.
To the volunteers, the event symbolized the local community coming together to help out our friends and neighbors in need. Thoma said the group has received clothing donations, as well as monetary gifts, from various partners, including local businesses, churches and ordinary residents.
In addition to the city helping organize the event, other local groups, such as the Children’s Advocacy Center, the Butler County Suicide Prevention Coalition and Glade Run Lutheran Services had volunteers at the event to meet with those who may need extra help heading into the winter.
“It’s so good for the community, not just because people can come in here and get clothes they need for warmth, but I think it’s good that they can see these other agencies that can share information,” said Danielle Schmidt, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center. “We just want to be part of the community, share any resources they may need.”
Winter doesn’t officially start for another two months, but with the uncertainty of Western Pennsylvania weather, the need for warm winter clothing is clear.
“Temperatures are dropping, 100% there’s a great need. Everyone that comes in here is super grateful for everything here,” Devin Cunningham said. “You look at some of the clothes that we get, they’re $40, $50, $60 coats.
“Most people can’t afford that the way the economy is. To be able to come and get it, it’s amazing.”
