Community

Act of kindness sparks local winter coat drive

The night before the blizzard struck last Thursday, Madison Fender was driving through Greenport and spotted a man standing on the side of the road, shivering, without a coat.

Ms. Fender, a local photographer, wanted to help him warm up, but she didn’t have any coats that would fit him. So, she immediately knocked on neighbor’s doors, collected a coat and went back to the man, gearing him up with a hat, scarf and gloves, too.

She then took him into a nearby gas station so he could pick up food and coffee. She recalled how grateful the man was when he received the coat.

“His whole demeanor instantly changed as he put that coat on and felt warm,” Ms. Fender said.

The experience inspired her to set up a coat drive, “Coats for the Cold” for the next two weekends to help other community members in need of some warmth this winter.

Anyone willing to donate coats can drop them off at a rack set up at the red barn at Treiber Farms in Southold Jan. 13, 14, 20 and 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alice’s Fish Market in Greenport also stepped up as a drop-off site, Ms. Fender said.

“This is genuinely just something to help people out,” she said.

[email protected]