By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Underprivileged teenagers in the Eatonville area will be warmer this winter, thanks to a coat drive that brought out example after example of generosity. The community drive coordinated by two businesswomen resulted in at least 190 coats. That was the number as of last Friday, 24 hours before the last scheduled day for donations. "It's great,GÇ¥ said Diane Wisley, owner of the PostNet store in Eatonville. "People stepped up and were so supportive and generous.GÇ¥ The coats will be turned over to Eatonville Family Agency, which will distribute them this month to families along with food and other holiday treats that are part of a separate program administered annually by the social services organization. Donations of cash and food can still be made to the agency, which is housed in the Eatonville Community Center. The goal for the coat drive was 200 coats or jackets in adult sizes from small to extra large. Donations of cash and winter gloves also were accepted. "One woman came into my store with 20 coats,GÇ¥ said Wisley. Her shop neighbors Mountain Fitness, whose owner is Nancy Mettler, the other coordinator of the drive. Coats that weren't donated directly were purchased with cash that was donated, Wisley said. Teenagers were the focus of the coat drive but that's the age group with the highest need for warm clothing, she added. In recent years, Mettler organized donations of bicycles for children during the holiday season. That effort was replaced this year by the coats campaign. She credited the coat drive's "overwhelming successGÇ¥ to the "generosity of our community and local businesses.GÇ¥
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