Thousands of donated sweaters, jackets and blankets will be providing warmth to residents who need it most just in time for the arrival of colder weather on the First Coast.
Distribution of the items collected during the 15th annual Mister Rogers Neighborhood Sweater Drive got underway Wednesday at the Clara White Mission in downtown Jacksonville.
Related: See a slideshow of the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Sweater Drive
“Definitely doing a good thing when the people who are actually homeless actually get something. And I know because I’m out here with them all the time,” said Robert Sheffield with the Church Without Walls.
The sweater drive is named for the late Fred Rogers whose award winning children’s television program ran for more than 30 years on PBS and WJCT-TV.
WJCT Public Broadcasting, VyStar Credit Union, Two Men and a Truck, the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships and the Duval County Public School PTA participated this year.
This year’s items are also being distributed to St. Vincent’s Mobile Outreach Ministry, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Outreach, Downtown Ecumenical Services, and other First Coast community service organizations.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
