SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Local bottler Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages recently donated more than 400 winter coats to New Jersey nonprofit HomeFront.
Hundreds of distribution floor and office associates at Liberty’s South Brunswick facility collected the coats over the last few months and then delivered them to HomeFront’s Lawrenceville office on Nov. 28.
“We were thrilled to contribute to these local efforts,” Hector Ruiz, Distribution Center manager for Liberty, said in a statement prepared by the company. “HomeFront is a staple organization helping those in need, and at Liberty we are always looking for opportunities to get involved in the communities where our associates work and live, and do anything we can to help those in our own backyard.”
This is the first year the South Brunswick facility participated in a large coat drive. It is part of Liberty’s larger mission to grow its community presence in the three local markets it services in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia.
“As temperatures start to drop, the timing of this coat drive could not be more perfect for HomeFront families. In fact, the coats collected in this drive have already begun to be distributed to children and parents in need. We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming generosity of the community and for Liberty’s leadership in caring for our neighbors,” Sarah Steward, chief operating officer of HomeFront, said in the statement.
HomeFront is focused on ending homelessness in central New Jersey by lessening the immediate pain of homelessness and helping families become self-sufficient. The organization works to give training, skills and opportunities as well as increase the availability of affordable housing to those in need, according to the statement.