Mittens for Detroit shared the gift of warmth with students in Hamtramck once again during their annual distribution on February 12. The group has provided gloves and mittens for students at the Tau Beta School in Hamtramck and the school district since 2014.
Christopher J. Wilinski, special education teacher, originally reached out to the nonprofit in 2014, after noticing several students came to school without proper winter gear. Since then, he has helped connect the organization with Tau Beta Elementary School in Hamtramck for a distribution.
Abdulmalik Algahaim, Board President of Hamtramck Public Schools, says he’s grateful for the donations.
“I would like to thank Mittens for Detroit for their generous donations of mittens today, and would like to thank them for supporting our students and ensuring they are warm during these cold months and ready to learn,” he says.
He says the donations make a difference in the community.
“We would like to thank them for their contribution, their partnership, and their commitment to our school community. And I would like to also give a huge shout out to the person that started all this, Mr. Christopher Wilinski,” he says.
About 30,000 gloves and mittens were donated to the district.
Gloves and mittens are essential items for kids in the winter, especially while getting to and from school, and during recess.
Wendy Shepherd is the executive director of Mittens for Detroit. She says Wilinski helps gather important information to streamline the distribution process each year.
“He has helped us to get all the information from all the schools, what do they need? What sizes do they need? How many do they need? And then we get them collected,” she explains.
According to their website, the nonprofit distributes the materials to families in need in underserved communities, including in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Pontiac.
Shepherd says Stellantis Motor Citizens volunteers have been partnering with Mittens for Detroit since 2015, helping out with the Hamtramck distribution. She says the gloves and mittens were donated by several groups.
“For the past several years, they’ve been funded by a foundation called Eagles for Children, and this year, all of the funding came from Oakland Hills Country Club, the golfers there, and then the golfers at Walnut Creek Country Club.”
“So this is my favorite day of the year, besides my birthday, and we love working with the schools here,” she says.
Shepherd says she especially enjoys seeing children’s faces light up.
“There are kids here every single year that they’ve been in school, they’ve gotten gloves. So it’s a very special day… They do, they dance, yeah, it’s great,” she says.
Jeff Kalinowski is the head of Stellantis Industrial System Communication. He says volunteers from several Stellantis plants volunteered.
He says 100s of gloves were donated for students. Kids get to choose their own pair.
“We’re actually going to work with the children, have them pick out exactly what gloves they would like,” he says.
He says Stellantis has been taking part in Mittens for Detroit for over 13 years.
“We actually support many of the districts, but in terms of the delivery and doing an event with the children, we’re only specifically here in Hamtramck this year,” he shares.
Mittens for Detroit has previously distributed to schools in Pontiac and Detroit.
Dr. Alia Hamka is the Principal at Tau Beta Elementary School in Hamtramck. She says the gloves and mittens make a huge difference for the students.
“Every year we have this mitten event where all our students get a free pair of mittens. They get to try them on, and they leave here so excited,” she shares.
She says she’s grateful to Mittens for Detroit and all the volunteers.
The nonprofit has collected and distributed more than 330,000 pairs of gloves and mittens since 2010, with the support of 100 Community Collection Partners.
People can sign up to volunteer at MittensforDetroit.org/volunteer.
People can also drop off mittens at several collection sites by checking https://mittensfordetroit.org/Locations/ or by mailing them to the address:
Mittens for Detroit, Attn: W. Shepherd, 2886 12 Mile Road, Box 721427, Berkley, MI 48072-0717. Monetary donations are also accepted, and tax deductible.
Alternatively, people can donate by selecting Ebay for Charity, Paypal Giving Fund, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, or by linking “Mittens for Detroit” with Kroger Rewards.
