SILVER SPRING, Md. - Marylandian -- BNI Central Maryland announces its first-ever Coat Drive. The Coat Drive for Homeless Veterans runs from now through December 14, 2022. New or gently used coats can be donated and dropped off at the Civic Building Atrium in downtown Silver Spring. The goal this year is to collect more than 300 coats for veterans in need for this upcoming winter.

"We are kicking off our first coat drive. Veterans are part of the fabric of this country and it's painful to imagine a homeless vet, let alone, a veteran without warm protection from the cold harsh winter conditions," said organizer Patricia A. Watts. "I want to thank all the veteran organizations, as they stand with us to distribute the coats and make this effort a success."

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"I really want to encourage everybody that if you have a spare coat or a gently used coat, it will be awesome if you can drop it off at Civic Building Atrium on December 14th," said Sarit Arbell, Executive Director of BNI Central Maryland region. "It's important for us to keep our homeless veterans in mind who may not have coats to keep them warm in the winter season."

For more information about the Coat Drive, contact Pat Watts at pawatts35@aol.com. To learn more about BNI, visit our website at https://bnicentralmaryland.com,