Remarkable things can happen when people come together for a common cause. We say it often on these pages, but never often enough to convey the spirit of a community that always finds a way to come through when the call goes out to help others.
Just look around at all the good things that happen right here in Sampson County on any given month. Whether’s it’s supporting any number of projects that involve children; cancer awareness and prevention efforts; mission projects and trips; benefits for the sick or less fortunate; or merely placing a sign of support in your yard or lifting a quiet prayer, somehow, no matter the economy or the cause, Sampsonians show their true spirit.
That is no more apparent than with the success year after year of the Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce’s annual Coat Closet. That project has certainly seen the generosity of a community that has, over the course of the last nine years, amassed thousands of coats to help bring warmth to children and adults who would, otherwise, be without during the coldest months of the year.
Many in our community struggle each year, particularly when cold weather begins to creep in, and money simply won’t be there for some of the things many of us simply take for granted — like a warm coat. For many, coats are simply a luxury they cannot afford, not for their children and not for themselves.
That’s why the Chamber’s Coat Closet, the largest project the organization does each year, is so important, and why we have implored those who can to help again this year. The Coat Closet project kicked off in late September and is slated to conclude next week, but there’s still time to drop coats off at the Chamber office in Clinton, as well as any of the 20 locations across Sampson County.
Just last week, the Alive After Five Summer Concert Series closed its season by teaming with the Chamber and its Coat Closet outreach, continuing its partnership with local nonprofits.
As part of the Coat Closet outreach, the Chamber partners with Sampson County Schools, Clinton City Schools, the Sampson County Department of Social Services, Sampson County Department of Aging, and the Telamon Headstart Program to identify those in need. Each of these organizations submit requests on behalf of individuals that they have identified as being in need of coats for the harsh winter season ahead.
The focus of the 2019 Chamber Coat Closet in particular is the collection of coats for children, including students at those local schools. Over the past several years, the demand from this particular age group has exceeded the requests of those in adult sizes.
We know the kind hearts of Sampsonians, evidenced year after year, project after project, and we hope those hearts will continue to be open to share gently used coats hanging in their closets with those who will need them to stay warm later this year and into the harsh cold months of January and February.
If coats aren’t readily available, the Coat Closet committee will take monetary donations that will be used toward their purchase. It doesn’t matter how a person chooses to give, only that they give what they can, when they can.
There truly is no greater gift on earth than that of sharing with others, ensuring, in this case, warmth where it may not have existed.
Donating coats is a way of clothing others with love, letting them know that they aren’t forgotten no matter the season and no matter the need.