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Bundle Them Up

Salvation Army Accepting Donations For Campaign

Pictured are Elizabeth Margarito of the Salvation Army with RSVP volunteers Nancy Jones and Wanda McKotch organizing winter jackets to prepare for the Bundle Them Up campaign. The program provided about 150 winter jackets to area youth. Submitted photo

The Salvation Army is preparing to help children stay warm with its annual Bundle Them Up campaign.

The program, which first began in Rochester in 2003, provides new and gently used jackets and coats to area children. Local grants from Cummins, The All For Amy Fund, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, AM Rotary and private local donors help the Salvation Army purchase and obtain jackets for the campaign. AM Rotary also purchases new jackets to donate to the program, while Cummins collects jackets during its recycle date.

“Having warm winter jackets helps each child prepare for the walk to school and may even increase attendance,” said Elizabeth Margarito, the emergency basic needs supervisor for the Salvation Army. “We serve all of southern Chautauqua County, but the majority of the need is in Jamestown, which is a walking district.”

Last year, Margarito said, the Salvation Army managed to give out about 150 children winter jackets. The year before that, the program collected 255 jackets.

The program serves those who make 185% of the poverty guidelines.

Applications will be taken Friday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break for lunch at noon. Parents or guardians should bring proof of all members of the household — picture ID for members 18 years and up and either a medical card, social security card or birth certificate for each child — and household income.

The Salvation Army will be accepting donations of gently used jackets, hats, scarves, mittens and boots at Anderson’s Cleaners, who dry-clean each donated jacket, and the 83 S. Main Street Salvation Army location in Jamestown. Jackets are also collected at various schools and should be in good condition and free of rips and stains with working zippers. Sizes collected range from newborn to adult, as the program is open to all school-aged children, including high schoolers.

Schools that have participated in the past include Jamestown Public Schools, Maple Grove Central Schools and Falconer Central Schools.

For more information about the program, contact Elizabeth Margarito at 664-4108, or go to the Salvation Army’s event Facebook page.

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