OPTX, senior center team up for second annual Coat Drive

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Ted Nelson, a registered optician and retail manager for Johnston-based OPTX Rhode Island, needs coats.

Earlier this week, Nelson – who lives in Johnston – said he is hoping to soon collect as many cold weather coats as possible.

“Remember, old man winter and the cold weather’s right around the corner,” Nelson noted. “And with the season, there’s always a need for coats that can keep men, women and children warm. Last year we collected over 200 coats, and are hoping to at least double that this year.”

With that, Nelson announced that the second annual OPTX/Johnston Senior Center Coat Drive will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at the nationally-accredited and award-winning center located at 1291 Hartford Ave.

While Nelson and an all-volunteer committee is hoping to collect as many coats as possible on Dec. 6, he wanted it known that the Coat Drive is a two-fold event.

“People can come to the senior center and drop off coats,” Nelson said. “People who need a winter coat are also invited to come and pick out a coat, and there’s absolutely no charge.”

Nelson said the Coat Drive is a “coordinated community effort between OPTX Rhode Island and our neighbor, the Johnston Senior Center. Please, tell your friends and neighbors about the drive. This is an important event and everyone involved feels that this is a great way of giving back to the community.”

Nelson, who came up with the idea about this time a year ago, added: “Clean out your closets, garage – anywhere you may have stored a cold-weather coat. These are some tough times for some and contributing to the Coat Drive will give people a great feeling of helping the community, especially those in need.”

Nelson, who is coordinating the event for OPTX – along with many members of Dr. Giulio Diamante’s staff, including general manager Bob Folgo, and Millie Santilli, the assistant director at the senior center – went on: “If, in fact, a person doesn’t have any coats to contribute, why not think of purchasing one and bringing it to the Dec. 6 drive?”

Just how, though, did last year’s Coat Drive come into being?

“We pretty much wanted to team up with the senior center and do something that would be a positive event that would benefit the community,” Nelson said. “At the time, it was a rather cold day ... I started thinking about the homeless and came to the conclusion that a coat drive would be a good thing.”

Thus, back on Dec. 20, 2013, people of all ages from in and around Johnston came to the center and dropped off gently used coats.

“Everybody here at OPTX is fired up for the Coat Drive,” Nelson said.

For example, Arleen Nerbonne, an optometric technician at OPTX, has already collected 25 coats and told Nelson she will continue to do so until the Dec. 6 drive.

When last year’s drive concluded – and people had come during the allotted time to pick out a coat – Nelson stored the remaining coats at OPTX and called several agencies that are always in need of clothing, most especially winter coats.

“I talked to people at the Providence Rescue Mission and they were thrilled that we offered winter coats,” Nelson said. “They couldn’t thank us enough, and that gave everyone involved a real warm feeling.”

Nelson said people don’t have to wait until Dec. 6 to drop coats off at either the senior center or OPTX.

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