By Laura Bailey
The Bristol Republican Town Committee is lending a helping hand to the community through a warm winter clothing drive.
“We wanted to really help the less fortunate in our community,” said RTC member Blaise Tramazzo. “We hope that it will help some of the people who are homeless in the city to get through the winter. We have to take care of our own.”
Gently used warm winter clothing items for men, women and children of all ages are being collected by the BRTC at their Main Street headquarters through Friday, Nov. 10. All items collected will be donated to the Agape House; a Christian nonprofit organization that helps those experiencing homelessness.
“They’re really good people down there, it’s run by volunteers,” said Tramazzo. “When I was there, I was taken aback not just by the number of people in need, but by the number of mothers with young children 9 or 12 years old.”
“They really in need any warm clothing to get people through the winter,” Tramazzo said. “Winter coats, hats, socks, boots; they’re just asking for the clothing to be clean and in good condition.”
The clothing drive that began at the end of September has seen a number of contributions from the community. Tramazzo said that he dropped off an initial carful of donated clothing and accessories to the Agape House in mid-October.
“We were getting so many donations at our main headquarters that my wife and I filled up two SUVs with the seats down and we brought it over to the Agape House. We’ll make another delivery sometime after Nov. 10. “
In addition to their warm clothing drive, the BRTC will be holding a Toy Drive in December to benefit the children of the community.
“I’m very fortunate to be with the republican town committee who really takes pride in not just rebuilding of the city but also taking care of its people,” Tramazzo said. “We try to do it year-round it’s not just at the holiday time.”
The Bristol Republican Town Committee is accepting donations at their headquarters, located at 188 Main St. To schedule a time to drop off warm clothing, contact Maria Tramazzo at (860)628-1435.
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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