CNCC hosts annual coat giveaway

RANGELY I Several Rangely residents left town square on Saturday warmer than when they arrived.
Approximately half of the coats at Colorado Northwestern Community College’s second annual winter coat giveaway ended up in somebody’s closet, community education director Angie Miller said.
“For the amount of time we were there and given the weather, that was absolutely phenomenal,” Miller said. “I would’ve been pleased if I’d seen one family come by and get coats. Anything beyond that is just the cherry on top.”
A Human Resource Council (HRC) project in years past, the coat drive is in its second year as a CNCC-sponsored event. It drew both families and CNCC students to the town center.
Residence life coordinator Michelle Holland, who helped Miller coordinate the event, recruited resident assistants to organize and distribute winter gear, which ranged from coats and hats to sweaters and snow boots.
“We don’t have a lot of opportunities to give back, so we like the chance to participate in community service,” Holland said.
CNCC psychology and sociology instructor Jessica Kruger’s sociology students earned class credit for helping out.
“I’ve heard so many good things about (service learning), so I hope to take baby steps in implementing it into classes,” Kruger said. “Even though (students) are only here temporarily, some of them, it’s still their community and they can bring back this experience to their own communities, too.”
Rangely resident Kate Lloyd saw a flier and stopped by Saturday morning. Her children, Angelina and Spencer, came away with treasures: Angelina scored the event’s only stuffed animal, a small monkey buried beneath the coats, while Spencer left with a fleece camouflage jacket, deciding that even though it was a couple of sizes too big, he could grow into it.
Items left over from Saturday’s giveaway will be donated to the United Way in Craig, Miller said. If you still need warm weather gear or have gently used coats that need a home, call Miller at 675-3227 or email [email protected].