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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAbdulmalik Algahaim, Board President of Hamtramck Public Schools, says he\u2019s grateful for the donations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He says the donations make a difference in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 30,000 gloves and mittens were donated to the district. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gloves and mittens are essential items for kids in the winter, especially while getting to and from school, and during recess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wendy Shepherd is the executive director of Mittens for Detroit<\/a>. She says Wilinski helps gather important information to streamline the distribution process each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe 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,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to their website, the nonprofit distributes the materials to families in need in underserved communities, including in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Pontiac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo this is my favorite day of the year, besides my birthday, and we love working with the schools here,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shepherd says she especially enjoys seeing children\u2019s faces light up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are kids here every single year that they’ve been in school, they’ve gotten gloves. So it’s a very special day\u2026 They do, they dance, yeah, it’s great,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff Kalinowski is the head of Stellantis Industrial System Communication. He says volunteers from several Stellantis plants volunteered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says 100s of gloves were donated for students. Kids get to choose their own pair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’re actually going to work with the children, have them pick out exactly what gloves they would like,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He says Stellantis has been taking part in Mittens for Detroit for over 13 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mittens for Detroit has previously distributed to schools in Pontiac and Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery 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,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She says she\u2019s grateful to Mittens for Detroit and all the volunteers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People can sign up to volunteer at MittensforDetroit.org\/volunteer<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n