The City of Bristol’s Spread the Glove campaign has proven to be an overwhelming success, with over 1,000 items donated to date. Colder weather and snow is being predicted next week, so the city staff will be in the downtown area and at shelters on Monday, February 8 offering cold weather apparel to those who need it.
The campaign actually began last year with a transit driver who saw some of her bus riders without gloves and other cold weather necessities. She decided she had to do something to help out, so she set out to gather cold weather items. On cold days, she tied the items to umbrellas located at the city’s transit center for anyone to take who needed such. Other members of the community reached out to help and began knitting toboggans, mittens, gloves and scarves to donate.
This year the city’s Community Relations Department took on the program; and with the assistance of Bristol Broadcasting’s WXBQ radio and Bristol Tennessee High School’s girls’ basketball program, the Spread the Glove campaign began without any expectations of how it would work out. With those partnerships in place, the department was able to spread the word into the community. “We are overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness shown by so many in our community. St. Anne’s Catholic school has been a great partner along with countless others who have dropped off items at our fire halls,” said Terrie Talbert, Director of Community Relations for the City. “Some individuals have written checks and asked us to buy item’s that weren’t being donated. We purchased a lot of infant and small children’s items that didn’t seem to be coming in. It has just been amazing,” continued Talbert.
The program will continue through the March 1.
For more information on the program, contact Terrie Talbert at 423-989-5500 Ext. 2250 or email [email protected]
