For the 12th consecutive year, Cell Block, 3702 N. Halsted St., is sponsoring a winter coat drive, run by longtime bartender Mark Bowden.
All men’s items will be donated to the HIV-positive clients of GroceryLand, the food-providing arm of Vital Bridges Center on Chronic Care, while women and children’s items will be given to the Cornerstone Community Center in Uptown.
“I had no idea when I started this coat drive in 1999 that it would have grown to be as big as it is,” Bowden said. “It just started out [as] a one-time bar event that lasted from Thanksgiving until Christmas, and I think we got 20 [or] 25 coats that first year.”
Bowden said his goal for 2011 is 350 coats.
“The reason [the coat drive] has grown, and I have become so passionate about it, is because the recipients are so unbelievably grateful for something that most of us take for granted,” Bowden said.
Donations may be dropped off at Cell Block or Cheetah Gym (Andersonville and Edgewater locations). Also, Bowden said, people can call the bar and he will arrange to pick up coats.