Winter Coat Drive
Over two weeks in January and February we collected new and gently used coats, hats, gloves, and scarves from homes across Livingston, then delivered them to patients at Trinitas Hospital ahead of the coldest weeks of the year.
Eleven projects since 2021. Every dollar raised and donated went to a named cause, and here is the receipt.
Local press reported us at $24,000+ raised as of mid-2024. Our most recent internal count puts the five-year total raised and donated above $30,000.
Filter by year. Every photo and flyer lives in the gallery.
Over two weeks in January and February we collected new and gently used coats, hats, gloves, and scarves from homes across Livingston, then delivered them to patients at Trinitas Hospital ahead of the coldest weeks of the year.
A one day help desk at Kearny Hindu Temple where students sat down one on one with 22 senior citizens. Resetting passwords, clearing storage, organising photos, setting up emergency contacts, spotting scams, and making video calls actually work. A second desk offered free blood pressure and vitals checks.
Small items, big impact. Through July and August we asked people to hand over the unused travel size bottles from hotel stays, toothpaste and toothbrushes, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Six drop off points across Livingston, all of it packed into small bags and delivered to Franciscan Charities in Newark.
Our largest project to date, held on 27 June at the Livingston Senior Community Center with Let's Save Ma, GKHET, and the Livingston Lions Club. Mammograms were provided on site by the Mammography in Motion mobile unit from University Hospital Newark. Free to everyone, no insurance needed.
Our biggest single day, held outside Livingston High School on 8 September. Food stalls, a silent auction, a car wash, seeds and saplings with pre-orders, a book drive, clothing and jewellery. Nine local businesses sponsored it. Proceeds were split between Bridges Outreach for the Homeless and the Livingston Education Foundation.
An ongoing drive rather than a single day. We collect new and used wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower benches, adult diapers, and crutches, then match them to uninsured patients in need. So far that is 5 crutches, 6 bath benches and stools, 2 walkers, 2 rollators and 3 canes. If you have any of these at home, we would like to hear from you.
A Mother's Day themed bazaar at the Livingston Oval on 7 May, built around a simple idea. Celebrate Mom and help another Mom. Stalls sold seeds and saplings, baked goods, crafts, books, and gifts. Proceeds funded free breast cancer screenings through Let's Save Ma, plus relief for the Turkey earthquake.
Run with GKHET, with six drop off points at volunteer homes across Livingston through to 15 November. We asked for two things only, cake mix and dry stuffing mix, and everything collected went to St James Roman Catholic Church in Newark for their Thanksgiving distribution.
Student-made food and student-made art, sold at the Livingston Oval on 5 September with GKHET. The students researched the cause themselves and worked out that vaccinating one girl against HPV costs about $70, or around $10 at volume. Proceeds funded HPV vaccination for children in India and humanitarian relief through Hope for Ukraine.
The project that started Livingston Youth Leaders, held on Sunday 23 May 2021 at the Livingston Oval in response to India's oxygen shortage during the peak of COVID-19. Working with Dr. Sandhya Shah of GKHET, the funds were converted into oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines shipped directly to India.
Collection boxes went up outside homes across Livingston through August, gathering backpacks, books, stationery, lunchboxes, and textbooks. The bulk went to children in Ethiopia through the Future Generations Foundation, and a portion of the books were distributed to schools in Newark.
We are always planning the next drive, fair, or clinic, and we always need more hands.