Ms. Cheap Coat Drive for the homeless begins September 5

The drive, which is sponsored by Main Street Media Tn., Ms. Cheap and NewsChannel5, will take place September 5-12, with drop-off locations including Room in the Inn at 705 Drexel St, Nashville between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. Use the call box at the entrance gate and a staff member will buzz you in and accept your donation.

Other drop-off locations through Sept. 12 include: Billy’s Corner at 4400 Murphy Road in Sylvan Park daily; Otter Creek Church locations at 3534 West End Ave., and 409 Franklin Road; and at FiftyForward locations at 108 Donelson Pike, 174 Rains Ave., and 530 Madison Station Blvd.

People can also donate at local Main Street Media newspaper office at:

101 N Mulberry St Dickson, TN

216 S Hartmann Dr, Lebanon, TN

333 W Main St. STE E, Gallatin, TN

719 S Main St, STE 102 Springfield, TN

101 S First St, Pulaski TN

315 W 7th St. Columbia, TN

Ms. Cheap: Do some fall cleaning and find coats and jackets to donate to Room in the Inn

You always hear about spring cleaning, but today I am promoting “fall cleaning” in hopes that you will clean out your closets and donate all sizes of winter coats and jackets to Room in the Inn to distribute to needy clients all over Middle Tennessee.

This is a great time to declutter those closets and help others at the same time.

In previous years, the Ms. Cheap Drive focused solely on donated t-shirts, but when I heard that winter coats are even more desperately needed by Room in the Inn, I figured we could collect both this year.

“We really want to focus on coats and jackets this year,” said Room in the Inn Executive Director Rachel Hester. “We won’t turn down t-shirts but we have so much need for coats.”

She explained that with limited space at the Room in the Inn campus because of the ongoing construction, her team wants to prioritize coat collections and return to t-shirts next year.

She said the children’s coats would be given to schools and to women’s shelters for distribution, while the adult coats will be distributed by multiple agencies. “Everybody is in need of coats,” she said.

The drive, which is sponsored by Main Street Media Tn., Ms. Cheap and NewsChannel5, will take place September 5-12, with drop-off locations including Room in the Inn at 705 Drexel St, Nashville between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. Use the call box at the entrance gate and a staff member will buzz you in and accept your donation.

Other drop-off locations through Sept. 12 include: Billy’s Corner at 4400 Murphy Road in Sylvan Park daily; Otter Creek Church locations at 3534 West End Ave., and 409 Franklin Road; and at FiftyForward locations at 108 Donelson Pike, 174 Rains Ave., and 530 Madison Station Blvd.

People can also donate at local Main Street Media newspaper office at:

101 N Mulberry St Dickson, TN

216 S Hartmann Dr, Lebanon, TN

333 W Main St. STE E, Gallatin, TN

719 S Main St, STE 102 Springfield, TN

101 S First St, Pulaski TN

315 W 7th St. Columbia, TN

“We at Main Street Media feel vested in the communities that we serve,” said Ellen Gould co-owner of Main Street. “Promoting service to members of those communities is important. Giving folks an opportunity to participate even in a small way gives them a buy-in and familiarity with the organization. Hopefully these same folks will respond again when Room in the Inn needs volunteers to house their clients at their local church or to provide meals, etc.,” she said.

This is so easy !

Here is what is wanted: Coats of all sizes, particular larger adult sizes. And clean men’s and women’s t-shirts. particularly larger sizes. They do not want any clothing items that are sexually explicit or promote alcohol or smoking.

“In the winter months when the temps drop and the chance of ice and snow hits, having a warm jacket to wear can make all the difference,” said Melanie Barnett Ober, director of community relations for Room in the Inn.

“At Room In The Inn, it's our goal to always have coats available throughout the winter months. Those in our community prefer to have the larger sizes so they can add layers underneath as needed,” she said.

"Middle Tennessee residents know that the weather can be finicky. We may have a 70-degree ‘feels like fall’ day in the middle of summer and then it'll be 85-degrees and muggy on New Years Eve.

“For our vulnerable neighbors the drastic shifts in weather are more than just an annoyance, the impact can be traumatic or even deadly for someone living on the streets. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can happen very quickly. Having access to a clean, dry shirt brings relief,” she said.

“We are so grateful that the 7th Annual Ms. Cheap drive is expanding to include coats as well as t-shirts. The partner drop-off locations and the wonderful support from our friends at Main Street Media is so appreciated,” Ober said.

She noted that while Room in the Inn’s campus is in Nashville, its reach is much broader as it partners with 70 community organizations and is supported by more than 200 Middle Tennessee congregations.

For more information, email [email protected] with questions.

Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on Talk of the Town on NewsChannel5. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap