Couple helps provide coats for families

Come next September, many Sisters area residents in need will be wearing warm winter coats, thanks to the generosity of Columbia Sportswear of Portland and many hours of volunteer work by Crossroads residents Luann and Wayne Danforth and their neighbors.

For the 16th year, the Portland-based clothing company has donated hundreds of quality winter coats, gloves, hats and boots that have been returned to them for a variety of reasons. The Danforths and their friends inspect each item, repair broken zippers, replace missing buttons, sew up tears and clean every item for later donation to needy families in Central Oregon.

“It started out about 1989 when I was teaching at Centennial Middle School in east Multnomah County,” Luann said. “I had met the grandmother of the current generation at Columbia Sportswear through work with the Girl Scouts. She and her husband had come to this country from Germany in 1938, settled in Portland and bought a hat distributorship. She supported the Girl Scouts because they had helped them during their relocation to this country.”

The business evolved to become Columbia Sportswear, managed by the founder’s son-in law and daughter, Gert Boyle. When the son-in-law died suddenly in 1971, his son, Tim, became president. The company developed its own labels sold through catalogs and retailers and prospered, promoted in part by the humorous television commercials featuring Gert and Tim Boyle testing their clothing.

The Danforths, who have no children, had purchased clothing at the business and had became acquainted with one of Tim’s sisters. When Luann noticed that one of her students did not have a winter coat, she and Wayne asked the sister if they could buy a coat at a discount for thestudent.

Columbia Sportswear was glad to help and provided the coat at no cost. The company suggested that they check back with them next year for another donation. The next year, the Danforths received two coats that were passed on to needy students. At that time, they were asked if they could use more coats.

Their answer of “yes” resulted in about 25 coats being donated. Within four to five years, this was a major activity, picking up donated clothing in the spring, repairing and cleaning the items during the summer and then distributing them in the fall with the help of schoolcounselors.

The Danforths’ basement soon was full of clothing much of the year. They found themselves in a yearlong project.

“We wanted to provide clean, repaired clothing to the kids to give them dignity,” Luann said. “Many were having problems keeping clean because of problems at home and a new, clean coat was a real boast to their self-esteem.”

Some kids were so proud and possessive of their new coats that they hesitated to take them off at school. Sometimes, Luann would store a coat in her office to satisfy the student that no one would take their new coat.

In 2001, the Danforths retired and moved to the Sisters area. They thought their project was over. However, that fall, they read in The Nugget about the work of the Sisters Family Access Network (FAN) in helping low-income families.

“My gosh,” Luann said, “they have the same need here with our cold weather.”

They contacted Theresa Slavkovsky of FAN and offered coats for distribution. So, the project resumed with the help of about a dozen of the Danforths’ neighbors.

Wayne recently made a trip to Portland with his snowmobile trailer to pick up items of returned clothing. Between 500 and 700 items of clothing are picked up each year.

Since the Danforths began their project, some other organizations now take advantage of the generosity of Columbia Sportswear, requiring the company to create a waiting list for donations.

Nearly all items are repairable and end up being clean, stylish winter coats, many with full linings, to keep Sisters families warm and dry. Checking and cleaning work will continue this spring through the next few months. Besides help from the neighbors, the Danforths have been given zipper repair materials from Columbia Sportswear, loan of a local businessman’s trailer to move the clothing, and free disposal service for boots that cannot be repaired from High Country Disposal of Redmond.

After each item is inspected, repaired if needed, and cleaned, the clothing is organized by type and size before being delivered. Most goes out at a time arranged by FAN in the fall, but some items are kept on hand for distribution as needed throughout the year.

Last year, more than 500 items were distributed by FAN, including coats, boots, gloves, hats, snow pants and other items. Next September, the coats again will be distributed, but for the Danforths work will just be beginning for a new year.