GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A coat drive in Grand Rapids Saturday resulted in the donation of 150 coats to the homeless community.
Mel Trotter Ministries partnered with Chevrolet and non-profit organization Empowerment Plan to host the drive. The coats provided were made from upcycles materials and can be transformed into sleeping bags.
Empowerment Plan Founder Veronika Scott said giving out something as simple as a coat can go a long way to getting people off the streets.
"Going and working with an organization like Mel Trotter that does incredible work in the community, not only with housing individuals but supporting them in mental health, physical health, all of these different aspects – its really exciting and it just only expands the work that we're able to do,” Scott said.
Dennis Van Kampen, Mel Trotter president, said drives like this one help the ministry get their foot in the door with the community.
"It’s about empowerment, making sure we can come alongside people, build relationships and help them think about and hopefully act on how they can get out of homelessness as soon as possible,” Van Kampen said.
The coat drive is part of an eight-city tour for Empowerment Plan. Throughout the tour, the organization aims to hand out 700 coats in total.
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