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3rd Annual Community Coat Exchange

NEEDED:  Hangers, coat racks, full length mirrors, canopies in case it rains

Friday, November 28, 2008

Library Plaza, Downtown Salt Lake City, 200 East 400 South, 10am – 3pm

We hold this free community event every year the day after Thanksgiving with the proceeds (left over coats) being donated to Crossroads Urban Center Thrift Store, a facility that caters to
low income and homeless community members. You can see an account of last year’s event
at: http://www.desertgreens.org/bnd2007.html.

The idea is to collect coats and give them away on the biggest shopping day of the year
(day after Thanksgiving, or “Black Friday”), with the tag line ” If you need a winter
coat, please come get one. If you can donate a coat, we know someone who could use it.”

The event is patterned after a similar event in Rhode Island, now in its 12th year.

The first event, 2006, we had about 300 coats donated and gave away 150 at the event,
with the items left over donated to Crossroads Urban Center Thrift Store.
Last year’s event saw about 400 coats donated, as well as hats, gloves, and scarves, and
we gave away about 300 at the event, with the items left over donated to Crossroads Urban
Center Thrift Store. Due to this growth we had arranged to hold the 2008 event in two
locations: Library Square Plaza and A Cup of Joe. However, due to issues that A Cup of
Joe faced with being forced to leave its shop and relocate, we will hold this year’s
event at Library Plaza only.

We have one drop off center so far:
City Academy, 555 East 200 South, SLC

Please consider these things:

1. Consider your organizations/businesses/offices as a drop off center,

2. Collect coats in your communities/organizations/businesses,

3. If you live in another part of the state, organizing a sister event on the same day
or day close to this one,

4. Post  flyers  at your organization’s facility,

5. Be willing to be listed as a co-sponsor – the obligation here would be to spread the
word on your websites/blogs/lists,

6. Donate racks and hangers for hanging the coats and sweaters,

and/or

7. Volunteer on the day of the event/enlist volunteers from your
organizations/businesses/communities/families. This could include just helping people
find coats to wear from the racks, (a lot of people ask us to do this!), providing hot
coffee/food for participants, providing entertainment (we will have a small sound system and microphone available), calling the media to come over, etc..

We would also like to get police and fire departments involved as well as mayor’s offices in our various towns and cities.

(NOTE: This is not a tabling event. The sole focus is on community need. We will have one or two tables with some literature on the issues related to this need.)

Thank you in advance!!