Carolina Ophthalmology and First Citizens Bank of Henderson County, in coordination with One Warm Coat® are hosting the First Annual Focus on Community coat drive to collect clean, gently worn, warm coats on Dec.1-15 during business hours. Area residents are invited to make a difference in our local community by donating to the coat drive and helping them reach their goal of collecting 200 coats.

“We are so excited about our upcoming Focus on Community coat drive and hope the community will support us.  There are nearly 50 million Americans currently living in poverty and struggling to provide a warm coat for themselves or their families.

One Warm Coat’s program helps us keep all of the coats we collect in this community, which will make a big difference for our neighbors who need a coat” said Dr. Clayton Bryan, President of Carolina Ophthalmology.

All coats collected will benefit The Storehouse in Henderson County, Eblen Charites in Buncombe County, and Steps to Hope in Polk County.

For a list of all drop-off locations, visit carolinaeyemd.com/community-service/coatdrive/

Customers who do not have a coat to donate can participate by texing “WARM” to 80100 to donate to One Warm Coat or visit onewarmcoat.org/donate

Each year, hundreds of thousands of gently worn coats are distributed across North America to children, women and men in need through One Warm Coat’s Coat Drive program.

– submitted by Laura Mintz