Column; Neighbors' generosity means warmer winter

Daily Journal

A Johnson County mother of three young children was supporting her family with just her paycheck from a pizza restaurant.

“Right now, all I have money for is bills and I have three kids that need coats really bad,” she said at the time.

She got a helping hand through Operation Bundle Up, a program of the United Way of Johnson County. Each year local residents donate more than 1,000 gently used coats, which are cleaned and then distributed to families in need. Some families even buy new coats on clearance in the spring and save them for the coat drive the following fall.

The mother of three was one of the families helped by the effort. She said a new coat especially would help her youngest daughter, who suffers from respiratory problems and often gets ill in the winter.

The Greenwood woman had peace of mind knowing free coats would keep her three children warm this winter.

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