Thousands of items of clothing purchased for those in need
By Lauren Parker, News Editor, The Times
Volunteers with David’s Drive were on hand last week to deliver clothing to the Coatesville Youth Initiative to be distributed to local youth. Photo courtesy of David’s Drive
COATESVILLE – Though the iconic Army Navy store in the center of town has permanently closed its doors, storeowner Judy Skolnik helped local nonprofit organization David’s Drive 831 accomplish its biggest community effort to date.
David and Joy Turner formed David’s Drive 831 after the death of their son in 2009. Their vision, in honor of David Jr., is to service homeless and hospitalized vets in the area.
When the Turners realized just how much inventory was left in the store, after more than 90 years in business, they approached Skolnik about buying out the inventory – literally thousands of items — to help clothe those in need.
The Turners state that Skolnik provided them with a very deep discount on the remaining merchandise, with the agreement that none of it would be sold – all of it would be donated.
Any items that were uniform or dress code specific to the Coatesville Area School District was donated to the district to distribute, while the remaining youth clothing went to the Coatesville Youth Initiative at the Benner building last week.
Any Boy Scout and Girl Scout clothing and accessories were donated to local troops and packs and the remaining adult clothing was all donated to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which services veterans in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
“We couldn’t do any of this without the help of the community,” Turner said. “It’s amazing to see everyone come together to make this happen.”
