DODGEVILLE, Wis. Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- This winter, more than 33,000 homeless men, women and children throughout the nation will be warmer thanks to the thousands of coats donated via the Big Warm-up. The National Coalition for the Homeless and Lands' End today announced the final tally of gently used coats collected is 33,170. Donated coats will be distributed by the National Coalition for the Homeless through their network to homeless people within communities where they were collected. Everyone is invited to visit http://www.bigwarmup.com/ for a special "thank you" message.
"The Big Warm-up brought together an entire nation to warm people in need," said Nick Coe, president of Lands' End. "Each coat collected stays within the community it came from and not only warms the recipient's heart; it warms the hearts of those who donated and in turn, our hearts. We are proud to have been part of this initiative and want to thank everyone who donated a coat and supported the Big Warm-up."
Warming Hearts One Coat at a Time
On October 29, Lands' End and the National Coalition for the Homeless launched the Big Warm-up - a nationwide initiative throughout the month of November to collect warm coats for those in need. People were invited to donate a gently used coat at one of the 252 Lands' End Shops at Sears or 13 Lands' End Inlets® across the country. For each coat donated, Lands' End gave 20% off the purchase of a new Lands' End coat.
"For more than 25 years, the National Coalition for the Homeless has worked to bring an end to homelessness. Over 33,000 coats donated to the Big Warm-up will offer much needed protection from harsh winter elements while reminding people in need that their community cares for their welfare. At this difficult time in their lives, that is a very powerful message," said Neil Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Local Effort, National Inspiration
Across the nation, there are more than 3.5 million homeless people each year. The Big Warm-up was inspired by the Big Boston Warm-up - a local endeavor in November to collect 7,681 coats to warm the homeless adults and children living in Boston.
As part of the Big Boston Warm-up, a public art installation opened in Boylston Plaza at Prudential Center in downtown Boston. The installation featured 768 life-sized figures - each representing 10 homeless women, men and kids in Boston - that were used to mark the progress toward the coat collection goal. Coats collected through the Big Boston Warm-up will be distributed by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless to those in need in the Boston area. Lands' End collected over 7,681 coats through the Big Boston Warm-up.
About Lands' End
Lands' End® is one of the world's largest retailers of clothing for the family. In addition, Lands' End offers an innovative collection of fine quality goods for the home. Lands' End merchandise can be purchased online at http://www.landsend.com/, by calling 1-800-800-5800, and by visiting the Lands' End shop at Sears. Lands' End is a proud member of Sears Holdings Corporation . And, all high-quality Lands' End merchandise is Guaranteed. Period.®
Lands' End
CONTACT: Adam Sodersten of Lands' End, +1-608-935-6395,
adam.sodersten@landsend.com
Web Site: http://www.landsend.com/
http://www.bigwarmup.com/
