Winter coat drive underway at Trolley Car Diner and Cafe

With the holiday season upon us, charity organizations throughout the region are organizing ways to help those in need through a tough winter. 

To help Philadelphians weather the winter blues, the Trolley Car Diner and Café will host the 10th annual coat drive at their Mt. Airy and East Falls locations. The diner is located at 7619 Germantown Ave. and the café is located at 3269 S. Ferry Rd.

Residents are asked to donate new or gently used coats for men, women and children without holes or stains. The coats will be donated to the Roxborough Salvation Army for distribution to less fortunate individuals in the Delaware Valley.

Last year, about 500 coats were donated to the locations, which filled the trolley car ice cream shop.

Ken Weinstein, owner of the Trolley Car Diner and Café, said he would like to receive 750 coats this year.

“We know whether we do the coat drive or not, we are going to get an incredible amount of coats donated to us,” said Weinstein. “It’s just been very popular in the past and people appreciate us giving them an outlet to get rid of new or gently used coats.”

He continued by saying helping someone in need is as simple as cleaning out your closet. 

Michele Orellana, marketing and community outreach assistant, said the true spirit of the holidays is about giving, and donating will help people in this region be prepared for the season. 

“It’s definitely around the holidays when it should be more about giving than receiving,” said Orellana. “It’s a great way to give back to our community because so many people are in desperate need of winter clothing, especially in the northeast, we tend to have harsh winters.”

Donations will be accepted until Jan. 16. That day, Trolley Car Diner and Café staff will be collecting coats at the Anna Blakiston Day Elementary School for the MLK Day Community Service Project. They will also be cleaning and painting the school in order to improve it. The project is a partnership with Mt. Airy USA.

For more information, visit trolleycardiner.com or trolleycarcafe.com.