GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — Staying warm this winter season, can mean a better opportunity to enjoy what the holidays have to offer. Here's how some neighbors in Grand Ledge are stepping up and making sure everyone gets that opportunity.
- Dave and Anne Burwick have distributed nearly 1,000 free winter coats this year through their donation tent program
- The couple doubled their tent size from last year due to overwhelming community need and support.
- Grand Ledge Fire Chief warns that frostbite can develop in less than 10 minutes during frigid temperatures
"It's the time of year when people need a little extra help," said Dave Burwick.
WATCH: Grand Ledge couple provides free winter coats to neighbors in need
Dave Burwick and his wife Anne started their take a coat or bring a coat tent last year.
"We realized how much the need was so we decided to start earlier, double the size of the tents," Burwick said.
By the end of the week, Burwick expects to have given out 1,000 coats just this year.
"We had a tremendous amount of backstock before we opened up, and now our back stock is all gone, so what we've got in the tents is all we got left," he said.
I met neighbor Richard Sena as he dropped off donations.
"Some hats, gloves, coats," Sena said.
Burwick says donations help the tents stay open. He's hoping they'll keep stock until December 21.
"If you have them in your house and you're not using them, why let them sit there," Sena said.
Grand Ledge Fire Chief Michael Roman told me about the importance of being properly dressed.
"So the biggest thing if we're going to go out in the winter is to have layers," Roman said.
Roman says in frigid temperatures, you can develop frostbite in less than 10 minutes of being outdoors.
"So we've got to make sure that we're taking care of our skin, and get it covered up, hats, gloves, scarves and everything that we need to stay warm," he said.
And these tents aim to keep neighbors dressed warm for free.
Burwick says they are open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 906 Willow Highway in Grand Ledge. The tent closes December 21st.
The Burwicks say neighbors are welcome to use their driveway when they arrive and can drop off donations on their porch.
"Just a real thank you to the community, it isn't just us. It's all the community donating. If they didn't do that we couldn't do this," Burwick said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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