rotaryclub 120The Ithaca Rotary Club wrapped up its 25th annual Share the Warmth campaign in mid-December. In collaboration with Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga, donations of new or gently used winter clothing were gratefully collected, sorted, and distributed across the area by volunteers from a number of sponsoring partner organizations.

More than 500 Tompkins County households received warm winter clothing through the annual Share the Warmth project. A total of 420 adult coats, 309 children's coats, 189 pairs of boots, and 633 hats were given out, as well as blankets, sweaters, gloves, scarves and other cold weather gear.

Co-sponsors included the Ithaca, Dryden, and Trumansburg Rotary Clubs; Cornell University; Ithaca College; Finger Lakes ReUse (whose truck fleet and staff picked up and dropped off the donated items); and Worth Asset Brokerage (which provided the much-needed warehouse space to sort those items).

Share The Warmth was started by the Ithaca Rotary Club in 1992. Almost 20% of Tompkins County residents live below the poverty level, compared to 14% state-wide.

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