Donate winter coat - get tickets to Mets game

After a disappointing end to their season, the New York Mets want to make sure their fans don't feel left out in the cold. Teaming up with SportsNet New York and New York Cares, the Mets will kick off their &#8220Mets Warm-Up” holiday coat drive on December 14 and 15 at Shea Stadium.
Fans donating new or gently worn winter coats will receive a voucher redeemable for two tickets to a select home game in April 2007. All coats will be donated to Queens area shelters through New York Cares, a nonprofit organization serving nonprofit agencies, public schools and other diverse organizations throughout the five boroughs.
&#8220The Mets are very much about teamwork,” said Jill Knee, Mets director of community outreach. &#8220The New York Cares Coat Drive is a great program that helps those in need, and we are thrilled to participate this year,” she said. Although the Mets and New York Cares have a longstanding working relationship, this year marks the first time the two organizations will collaborate on the coat drive.
The 18th annual New York Cares Coat Drive, sponsored by Health Plus, begins on December 1 and runs through the month of December. New Yorkers are encouraged to donate new or gently used adult and children's coats at collection sites throughout the five boroughs. The New York Cares Coat Drive collects about 70,000 coats each December. Since the Coat Drive began in 1989, over 1 million coats have been donated to help the less fortunate stay warm through the frigid winter months.
While Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal are recognized as the most popular donation sites - Queens lacked one of its own. &#8220It was important for us to get involved with this initiative because we felt there were not as many sites in Queens for donations,” Knee said.
&#8220New York Cares wants to help homeless and low income families whose lives are in transition right now,” said New York Cares senior director of communications, Colleen Farrell. &#8220For some it's a decision between buying a coat for the winter or putting food on the table,” Farrell said. According to Farrell, there are 1.5 million people living below the poverty line in New York. &#8220We encourage New Yorkers to give this holiday season,” she said.
The &#8220Mets Warm-Up” holiday coat drive begins on Thursday, December 14 and ends the following day. Coats can be dropped off at Gate D inside the Mets ticket office lobby from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.. For more information, log on to mets.com or nycares.com.