UMassFive Donates Hundreds of Winter Coats and Clothes to Amherst Survival Center

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced that its members, staff, and community partners have donated hundreds of winter coats and clothing to Amherst Survival Center. Donations were gathered through a collection drive held at UMassFive’s Hadley and Northampton branches throughout the month of December.

“This is a drive that we hold annually, and we weren’t sure what to expect in terms of donations during the pandemic,” said Cait Murray, Community Outreach manager at UMassFive. “We were pleasantly surprised to receive a record number of donations this year. The generosity of our members, staff, and community partners is truly remarkable.”

Five vehicle loads of donations were dropped off at the Amherst Survival Center, where they were sorted and distributed to the community.

“Unfortunately, the Amherst Survival Center had to temporarily close our community store due to COVID as we focus on our food and nutrition programs, but we have remained committed to distributing core essentials” said Lev Ben-Ezra, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center. “We are so grateful to be partnering with several area organizations, including Craig’s Doors and Family Outreach of Amherst, to make sure every single coat, blanket, and winter accessory we collect makes it someone who needs it. The UMassFive coat drive is an essential part of that.”

To support the Amherst Survival Center directly, visit amherstsurvival.org.