AUSTELL, Ga. — Hundreds of people who need coats for the cold are getting them. One of the area’s largest charities launched its largest-ever coat giveaway on Tuesday.
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Angela McAfee was showing off her new coat today.
“And it was free! You’ve got to appreciate that,” McAfee said.
Everyone did because it was the nonprofit Sweetwater Mission’s largest coat giveaway ever. It was set up in a way that allowed folks to shop.
“They want to be able to pick their own coats out. You can’t just give them coats,” the Mission’s Debbie Ginocchio said.
Ginocchio counted 17 pallets of coats. That’s more than two thousand in total, with every style and size, provided by a familiar face.
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“Brad’s Coat Drive for WSB-TV. We love Brad,” Ginocchio told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
The generous donations from Channel 2 Action News viewers made the event possible, and Sweetwater Mission aims to distribute them all.
“We want to make sure the coats are used. There’s a need for coats,” Mission Outreach Pastor Tracy Carter said.
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No matter what the temperatures might be this week, winter is far from over. During the first few hours, the organization gave away more than 500 warm coats, including the one McAfee selected.
“Who gives stuff free all the time? Sweetwater has helped my life a lot,” McAfee said.
Sweetwater Mission will hold another coat giveaway on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at its headquarters at 6130 Hotel Street in Austell.
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