Department of Human Services

Cold weather a little easier due to state workers’ generosity

Local dry cleaner adds 2000 coats to holiday drive

TRENTON, NJ – The recent cold weather may be breaking records, but at least some of New Jersey’s neediest citizens can thank state workers for warm coats. During this winter holiday season, state workers filled their office buildings with mounds of coats and boxes of toys for sick and needy children and families… so much so that the donated coats are still being distributed across the state.

Workers donated a total of 4,554 coats and 4,124 new toys, including 2,000 coats from Tirpok Cleaners, located throughout Hunterdon and Warren counties, the fifth year in a row that the cleaners donated large numbers of coats. The Department of Human Services (DHS) gathered almost 23 percent of the coats and 34 percent of the toys and is now completing the coat distribution. Said DHS Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris, "We are so grateful for our staffs’ generosity and the fact that they continue to give of themselves beyond the office."

Most coats have gone to state programs run by DHS, such as the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) district offices and childcare centers where families receive their services. Supervisors are doling out the coats as quickly as possible while the weather still demands protective clothing. Most of the coats were used but cleaned and suitable for wearing. Toys were new but distributed unwrapped so caseworkers could match age-appropriate toys with their young clients before wrapping them. The vast array of toys ranged from puzzles and stuffed animals to trucks, dolls, craft kits and games.

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