Big Joe and Laura With Mix 95.7 Listeners Collect 600+ Coats for Neighbors in Need

If you listened along over the last month, you know Big Joe and I have been busy wrapping up our third annual Warm Hearts Coat Drive, and I still cannot believe how it all turned out.

What started in October with a handful of empty Two Men in a Truck boxes spread across West Michigan turned into one of the most generous years we have ever seen.

We kicked things off at Rebounderz in Jenison where families showed up with armfuls of coats and left us feeling hopeful right from day one.

Along the way, we made stops at 5 Lakes Brewing and saw some of our favorite community friends making donations, including Rep. Hillary Scholten, who reached out on her own to donate this year.

We also had a fun afternoon at Sammy’s Party on Wheels with listeners who came out to dunk Big Joe in the dunk tank in exchange for a coat donation:

And, of course, our listeners continued to fill more than thirty donation boxes all over West Michigan. Every time we went to check on one, another pile had appeared. It truly felt like the community was moving faster than we could keep up with.

This is just ONE of the van loads of trucks we picked up!

On Thursday night, November 13, we joined our friends at the Grand Rapids Gold to share the final total during the third quarter, and it still feels surreal. We set what we thought was a pretty lofty goal of 500 coats, and instead, you helped us collect 631 coats.

Six hundred thirty one coats that will keep someone who would have gone without warm this winter.

We beat last year by almost one hundred coats, and honestly, I had to take a moment after we announced it because it hit me how many people that number represents. How many people in our community. And, how many cold nights you all made just a little warmer.

All of these coats will go to Neighbors For Neighbors who distribute them directly to people experiencing homelessness at Heartside Park in downtown Grand Rapids. (And some of them already have, because winter came quick this year.)

Knowing that these coats will land in the hands of people who truly need them makes every early morning, every stop, and every full donation box worth it.

I am humbled and honestly overwhelmed by the kindness of West Michigan. You continue to give even when times are hard, and you make sure your neighbors are taken care of. Thank you to every listener who donated, every business that partnered with us, and everyone who cheered us on. We are humbled, and couldn’t have done it without you.