Patrick Brightman - 11/28/2018
The 3E Public Relations (3E PR) team has much to be thankful for during this 2018 Holiday Season. We have tremendous relationships with each other, our partners and clients. One thing that I most enjoy about my fellow PR pros is that we share a belief that we should give our time and talents to worthy causes. While it feels great all the time, it is especially heartwarming during the holidays. This year, we have decided to help those less fortunate in New Jersey by participating in the Jersey Cares annual coat drive.
It is hard to believe that there are so many people in need in our home state. I bet you would be surprised to learn that 882,673 people – or 10% of the Garden State’s population – live below the poverty line, according to Talk Poverty. That ranks New Jersey seventh on a list that no state wants to top. It also means that as the temperatures drop below freezing, many of our neighbors will not have what they need to withstand harsh winter days and nights.
Please Donate A Coat Or Jacket
For these reasons, 3E PR is serving as a collection site for the annual Jersey Cares coat drive, which is now underway and runs through Tuesday, December 11. Our goal is to bring a little joy to people during the holiday season by providing warmth – physically and spiritually – during the cold, blistery winter months. It’s particularly important to lend a hand because many of these people are children and the elderly.
As someone who has given time to worthy charities in my home and nearby communities in Bergen County, I can tell you there are many people with too much pride or unsure who to ask for help but still need it. 3E PR, with the help of Jersey Cares, is ready to take on this responsibility and act as a voice this year.
We are asking all our colleagues to check their closets, attics, dresser draws, and anywhere else you may store clothes. Find a coat or jacket that you and/or your children have outgrown or simply have decided that it doesn’t suit your needs anymore. While you may no longer wear it, that coat still has a valuable purpose. It can keep a person who otherwise might suffer sickness due to frigid conditions warm and protected. There is one condition – Jersey Cares only accepts new and/or gently used coats.
If you don’t have any coats or jackets but still want to contribute, Jersey Cares also accepts monetary donations via check. Since Jersey Cares is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, all gifts to the Coat Drive are tax deductible.
Last year, Jersey Cares collected more than 30,000 coats throughout New Jersey. Our hope is to contribute to increasing that number this season. Everyone at 3E PR – and many of our marketing brethren in our Creative Marketing Exchange (CME) office in Montville – is committed to donating to the coat drive.
Give Year Round
Another reason why we selected this initiative is that Jersey Cares looks to help communities in a variety of ways year-round. The group partners with local nonprofits to identify needs and implement volunteer projects statewide. Jersey Cares provides individuals, families, corporate employees and community groups with a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, from tutoring children to painting new murals in schools.
In other words, the group doesn’t take a break after the holidays, because it recognizes people are in need 365 days a year. So, while we bring attention to gift-giving donations during the holidays, we encourage everyone to continue to pay it forward all 12 months.
If you’d like to help us help others, please drop off a coat at our office, 219 Changebridge Road, Montville. You can also donate through one of the drop-off locations. We encourage everyone to give their time and talent during the holidays – and throughout 2019 – to help friends and families in your communities.
Here’s to all of us spreading a little warmth and good cheer this winter!