Winter Coat Drive for Asylum Seekers from Texas
St. Martin’s Refugee Resettlement Ministry Launches Winter Coat Drive for Asylum Seekers from Texas
Asylum seekers from Texas are arriving by the busloads in Philadelphia, a Northeast Sanctuary hub, where they transition to other sites in the Northeast, hoping to join family and friends. Many arrive in warm- weather clothing, such as t-shirts and flip-flops, unprepared for cold weather. There’s a particular need for new or gently used winter apparel to give them a truly warm welcome as they arrive in Philadelphia.
The Asylum Seekers Welcome Team of St. Martin-in-the-Fields is responding to those needs, and you can help in several ways. Here’s how:
Bring winter coats for men, women, and children, and other apparel (see full list below) to the lobby
of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane in Chestnut Hill (corner of St. Martin’s Lane
and Willow Grove Avenue).
Help to gather and sort clothing from the lobby, bag it and store it.
Pick up the clothing and deliver it to 30th Street Station, or to the city welcome center. This activity
will be relatively limited.
Here’s what we need:
WOMEN:
1. New or gently used winter coats: sizes S, M, L
2. Sneakers, sizes 5-9
3. Sweatpants or pants with elastic waistband, sizes 3-12
4. Gloves and hats, along with new socks and underwear size 5 up, and sports bras S, M, L
MEN:
1. New or gently used winter coats sizes S, M, L, XL
2. Sneakers, sizes 7-11
3. Sweatpants from S, M, L and XL
4. Gloves, hats, along with new socks and underwear S, M, L, XL
CHILDREN: Same clothing for babies and small children up to young adult.
TOWELS are also needed so people can shower before moving on.
A coat rack and bureau are available in the church lobby for your donated clothing.
Also needed: GIFT CARDS FROM TARGET, because often clothes don’t fit, and Targets are near
wherever asylum seekers wind up. If you donate a gift card, please put it in an envelope, and
deposit It in the top drawer of the bureau. We check the bureau regularly.
Contact us with any questions: Jeff Meade, 215-806-8028, or email [email protected]
