About 30 volunteers spent Tuesday night preparing the gymnasium in Wichita's Robert D. Love Downtown YMCA to give away hundreds of coats to those in need.
The volunteers sifted through coats and winter gear starting at 6 p.m on Tuesday. Joyce Dixson estimated they would be finished by 8 p.m. She said it's a large improvement compared to when she first volunteered nearly two decades ago.
"We went until 10 o'clock," Dixson said. "And that's because we didn't know what we were doing. And it was just by trial and error."
Now, she said, it's like clock work. The clothing quickly moved from overstretched garbage bags to heaped piles spread across the floor to organized coat racks.
There isn't a final tally yet, but the YMCA says it gave away more than 1200 coats last year. The Y has been working with partners across the city to give tickets to those in need. Ticket holders will receive winter clothing and an early Thanksgiving meal at the YMCA's annual holiday dinner on Wednesday.
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