YORK, Pa. — Hundreds of people in need filled Union Lutheran Church in York to shop for winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. There were no receipts, no transactions and no questions asked; just armfuls of warmth and hope.
9th grader Tristan Rankin started Coats of Friendship when he was still in elementary school. Stirred by a video of a shivering homeless boy he saw on YouTube, a then 6-year-old Rankin decided to do something about it.
"I want to make sure that everybody has that opportunity to be warm," Tristan said. "To reach into their closet and grab out something that will keep them safe and alive over this winter."
That year, Rankin collected 75 coats at his school. It inspired his younger brother, Emerson to help out too. Together with their classmates and volunteers, the brothers' non-profit has grown exponentially.
Coats of Friendship handed out close to 2,500 winter coats Saturday afternoon. Many of them are brand new. It takes months of preparation to get to this day, but Emerson said the payoff is huge.
"Every weekend we put in hours of our own time to do the coats. It's really cool," he said. "Then I go straight from doing coats, to football. But it's worth it, I can tell you. See this, it's so worth it."
It's not just the brothers making it happen. Dozens of volunteers, many of them students, helped those in need find the right fit. Coats of Friendship hopes to collect 8,000 lightly warn or new coats this season.
"It really comes from all over. People who spend their own money feel like this is a good cause," Emerson said. "They're like, 'I don't need this money. You do. So many people need this more.' So they take it out of their own wallet and donate it to us. It's really crazy."
Each coat comes with an encouraging note written by an elementary schooler; another effort to lift people up as they zip up their new coats.
"They can take what they need. We don't take ID or ask what their situation is or say 'that's too many coats.' We don't question it," Tristan said. "People have families and they have neighbors who need them. That's my goal, to make sure that every human being is warm for the winter."
Coats of Friendship is holding another coat distribution event next Saturday in Red Lion. For more information about their programs, donations, and how you can get involved, find them on Facebook at Coats of Friendship.