OCFS DISTRIBUTES WINTER COATS AND ACCESSORIES TO NEW YORKERS IN NEED
Items donated by OCFS staff to benefit Tonawanda-area program
Coat drive answers Governor Cuomo’s call to action to help less fortunate families
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) has announced a major donation to a Western N.Y. program that benefits children at a socioeconomic disadvantage who have an emergency need for clothing and supplies. The OCFS Buffalo Regional Office’s coat, toy, and school supply drive was held in direct response to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s call for donations this past holiday season.
The donation to Ken Ton Closet, which benefits children in the Kenmore-Tonawanda School District, included more than 50 gently-used coats, winter hats, mittens, and gloves. OCFS partnered with Colvin Cleaners in Kenmore to clean all of the coats free of charge prior to distribution.
“It’s easy, particularly during the holiday season, to forget about others in the hustle and bustle of gift-giving and event planning. But I had no doubt that OCFS employees would step up and take on the responsibility of helping families they’ve never even met, all in the spirit of giving back to the communities where we live and work,” said Acting Commissioner Sheila J. Poole. “The OCFS family is a generous one, and I am proud at how quickly our employees rose to the occasion and gathered the items that Governor Cuomo requested to help those in need.”
In December, OCFS also launched collection sites at its home office in Rensselaer and at the Statewide Central Register as a response to the same initiative, collecting more than 80 coats and other items for the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Rensselaer County. Governor Cuomo continued New York State’s long tradition of charity by spending the holiday season delivering coats, toys, and supplies dropped off at dozens of locations around the state to benefit children and families in underserved communities.
The OCFS Buffalo Regional Office focused on coat donations to help local families combat recent freezing temperatures.