BOROUGH PRESIDENT JOINS LOCAL DRY CLEANERS IN CLOTHING THOUSANDS OF NEW YORKERS THIS WINTER

(Photograph by Kathryn Kirk)

(Pictured left to right – Homeless Services Commissioner Linda Gibbs, Korean-American community activist Grace Volckhausen, Borough President Markowitz and Shi-Yong Khim, Director of the Winter Clothing Drive, Korean Dry Cleaners Association).

More than 5000 pieces of clothing are donated to the homeless

Borough President Marty Markowitz, along with the Korean Dry Cleaners Association in cooperation with the Neighborhood Cleaners Association, donated more than 5000 articles of clothing to Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Linda Gibbs, which will help clothe thousands of homeless New Yorkers. The overcoats, jackets, sweaters and pants were unclaimed clothing that were graciously donated by dry cleaners from Brooklyn and beyond, and will be distributed to homeless shelters in Brooklyn and across New York City.

“I am so thankful that the Korean Dry Cleaners Association and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association collected all of this clothing because it will mean so much to thousands of people during the next couple of months,” said Borough President Markowitz. “The temperatures may be cold, but Brooklynites and people all over New York definitely have a warm spot in their hearts for people in need. Sometimes it is easy to forget how much in life we take for granted, but today is the perfect reminder that a good coat, a beautiful sweater or a nicely pressed pair of pants can be a great beginning for people trying to reclaim and rebuild their lives.”

"The City now provides shelter to over 7000 single adults each day and works around the clock to encourage more people to come in from the streets for services,” Commissioner Gibbs said. “We are incredibly thankful for the generous support of the Korean Dry Cleaners Association, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association, and Borough President Markowitz, who are helping us to make this a warmer winter for New York's neediest."

“We are incredibly pleased to help those less fortunate stay warm during these cold winter months. We love America and this is our way of saying thank you for everything that this country has done for us,” said Shi-Yong Khim, Director of the Winter Clothing Drive, Korean Dry Cleaners Association.

The clothing will be taken to four shelters in Brooklyn – the Atlantic Armory at 1322 Bedford Ave., the Barbara Kleinman Shelter at 300 Skillman Ave., the Brooklyn Women's Shelter at
116 Williams Ave. and the Kingsborough 6 at 681 Clarkson Ave. Clothing will also be distributed to the Franklin Shelter in the Bronx and the 30th Street Men’s Shelter and the 68th Street Armory in Manhattan.