Community Corner

Local Nonprofit Answers Demand for Coats this Winter

Sonoma County Adult and Youth Development, located on Burton Avenue in Rohnert Park, had on hand more than 200 coats Friday to give out.

Roughly 30 people lined up outside Sonoma County Adult and Youth Development Friday afternoon for the local nonprofit's 7th annual coat drive. On hand were more than 200 coats and about 60 sweaters, donated by community members, members of the North Bay Asssociation of Realtors and a few servers from the Rohnert Park Olive Garden.

"There is a huge demand this year," said Esperanza Roman-Nunez, a family advocate for SCAYD who also helped organize the coat drive. "There are more homeless people on the streets this year, people are losing their jobs, and they're having a really hard time this Christmas."

For Maria and Leonardo Ramirez, of Rohnert Park, it was SCAYD that offered the gift of warmth this winter.

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We don't have money to buy coats," they said through a translator, holding two small pink coats and one each for themselves.

Guadalupe deFlores, 58, also of Rohnert Park, picked out four coats for her grandkids, and a sweater.

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I'm getting them because my grandkids are cold," she said.

SCAYD spends two weeks collecting the coats, said Jim Gattis, the organization's executive director.

"It's very important becasue the homeless population has very little," he said. "And it's really sad to see little kids wearing just a T-shirt or a sweater to stay warm."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here