Brownies help homeless families by collecting coats, other clothing Brownies help homeless families by collecting coats, other clothing (January 11, 2006)

** They collected 544 warm coats, sweaters, holiday dresses for families in shelters.

Sixty Brownies -- four troops of first- and second-graders at Laurel School -- put into action the Girl Scout promise "to help people at all times" by organizing a "One Warm Coat" drive in December.

They collected 544 items in five days during morning drop-off times at Laurel School in Atherton. The items were delivered to Shelter Network's sites in Menlo Park and Redwood City.

The final tally was 144 adult coats, 179 children's coats, 44 holiday dresses, and 177 sweaters and other children's clothing.

Half of the children's coats and holiday dresses were delivered to Haven Family House in Menlo Park and to Redwood Family House in Redwood City.

These shelters provide temporary housing for homeless families and children to help them get back on their feet. The adult clothing went to the Maple Street Shelter for homeless adults.

Parent Katie Hadrovic, who spearheaded the drive, added an unusual twist by including gently used holiday dresses in the drive. She thought it would make the holidays more special for little girls.

"I am hopeful that this (drive) will be a meaningful event for our troops and the Laurel community, and, perhaps the start of another wonderful tradition at Laurel School," she said.

Each Brownie troop took a turn at the curb collecting gently used coats and other items contributed by the school community and delivered to the school. The Brownies, their leaders and parent volunteers sorted the clothes and delivered them to the appropriate shelters.

The "One Warm Coat" drive started in San Francisco 13 years ago when Lois Pavlow had a warm coat that she wanted to donate free to a person truly in need. Last winter, some 150,000 coats were collected nationwide. For more information, go online to onewarmcoat.com.

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