Red Fork Cleaners heading up coat drive
By
KRISTINA DUDLEY Tulsa World Assistant Editor 11/14/01
If you've got more than one winter coat hanging in your closet that you're
not wearing, there are plenty of people who don't have one. Each
winter brings a need for coats for those people who are in need of something
to ward off the effects of frigid weather. This year, Red Fork Cleaners
owners Richard and Sue Niles will clean donated coats and deliver them to
west Tulsa's Western Neighbors for distribution to those in need.
Richard Niles, who serves on the board for Western Neighbors, said he is
involved with the coat project "because there's just a need."
Western Neighbors is an agency that provides food, clothing and assistance
with utility bills for people in need. People can drop their unwanted coats
at the dry cleaners at 4148 S. 25th West Ave., or at Community Bank, 2420
Southwest Blvd. The coats will be cleaned and later distributed. Community
Bank is helping to defray the cost for cleaning the coats, Niles said.
The drive netted several hundred coats for men, women and children last
winter, and so far approximately 70 have been collected. The cutoff date is
Dec. 15.
Red Fork Cleaners has served westsiders for 28 years and the couple started
the drive to help others. It held its first drive in 1996 and cleaned
some 300 to 400 coats for distribution. Though there are several
organizations in Tulsa who organize coat drives, David Breed, executive
director of Western Neighbors, said often these do not help people in
southwest Tulsa. "People do not have transportation and are left out in the
cold," Breed said.
The agency's location in southwest Tulsa makes it more accessible to people
who live in this area. Many of Western Neighbors' clients are senior
citizens who are especially affected by cold weather, he said. Other
families may have several children who have spent their limited funds on
back-to-school supplies and summer clothing.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas
approaching, many families do not have the money to buy coats and
winter clothing for all their children. "Last year was a long,
cold winter and thanks to Richard we were able to make a lot of
families -- especially children -- more comfortable," Breed said.
He also said the variety of sizes and quantity of coats that were
collected was especially helpful. "I grew up in Iowa. I
know about coats," Breed said. For more information, call Red Fork
Cleaners at 446-0626 or Western Neighbors at 446-7010.
