Mittens for Detroit Embraces Pontiac, Donating 4,200 Pairs of Gloves to Students
(Pontiac Schools, Dec. 14, 2023)
Pontiac, MI– Every student in the Pontiac School District will have warm hands for the winter thanks to its partnership with Mittens for Detroit (MFD). More than 4,200 pairs were distributed to students on December 5th by volunteers from local businesses who have come together for this initiative.
This is the third year of Mittens for Detroit in Pontiac and we are so incredibly thankful for all of the great partnerships it provides the district.
This year every Pontiac School District student has gone home with mittens or gloves thanks to our friends at Amazon – Pontiac, Brose Jefferson, Brose North America, GM Global Propulsion Systems, GM Pontiac Stamping Facility, GM Milford Proving Grounds, Junior League of Birmingham, Magna, Nowak & Fraus Engineers, Orchard Lake Country Club, Pontiac Board of Education, Stellantis, Team CORE, and United Wholesale Mortgage.
Volunteers from many of the partners came together on 11/14 and 11/15 to sort, count, and box up the thousands of pairs of new mittens that have been collected and purchased for the big distribution day.
The distribution event kicked off with a brief ceremony at Peace Academy/Frost School
These donations were made possible by community partners and friends who joined forces with MFD in Pontiac to ensure every student receives a brand new pair of quality gloves or mittens.
“We started Mittens for Detroit in Pontiac in 2021, as we were all coming out of the pandemic. It is nothing short of amazing to see how this program has grown in just two years. To reach more than 10,000 in this short of a time, is so touching and meaningful. This speaks to the kindness and the generosity of the partners here in Pontiac. It demonstrates what we have known at Mittens for Detroit since our start in 2010…Mittens for Detroit works because the community wants it to work. This team knows that mittens matter! We are so grateful for the growing team of businesses and community members who are dedicated to warming the hearts and hands of children in school.” stated Wendy Shepherd, MFD’s Executive Director.
Mittens for Detroit in Pontiac has been a very positive and energized collaboration of public, private, and nonprofit groups, working together to warm hearts, two hands at a time.
This project is Mitten for Detroit’s only program outside of Wayne County. In the first two years, more than 10,000 pairs were collected, purchased, and delivered to the children in the Pontiac School District, along with other children’s programs in Pontiac.
Mittens for Detroit collects and distributes thousands of pairs of new mittens and gloves to children, teens, and adults in need in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn, and now Pontiac. In its 13 Community Collection Seasons, Mittens for Detroit has raised and purchased more than one-quarter million pairs of new mittens and gloves. Mittens for Detroit works with a Distribution Partner Network of about 100 programs, nonprofits, veterans’ groups, organizations, shelters, schools, and so on, who distribute the pairs to their clients, students, and families.
More info: Mittens for Detroit
