Columbus Division of Police Officer James Poole recently updated us on how he and his partner, Officer Dave Blubaugh, distributed some of the coats from our Fifth Annual Coat Drive. They worked with the principal of Eastland Performance Academy to identify children who needed the coats and what their sizes were.
When they passed out the coats to the children, they were so excited to receive their new coats and thrilled at how warm they were. The kids were also happy to hear that they'd never been worn by anyone before--brand new with tags on them, just for them!
One boy was a little bigger than they anticipated, so Officer Poole told him he'd be back with a bigger size. The boy asked him anxiously, "Will you come back today? Because I really need the coat. I don't have one, and it's cold."
"Yes, I promise I'll be back today." He returned a short time later with one that fit him.
When Officer Poole came back, there happened to be another boy in the hall who asked what was going on. When he learned about the coats, he asked if he could have one as well. It turned out that the coat that didn't fit the other boy fit him perfectly. He also loved the gray and orange colors.
Thank you to Officer Poole for these stories about how much these coats mean to these children, and thank you to AEP Ohio and Macy's for making this possible.
