Coats and community at festival
Published 2:05 pm Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Children’s coats line the rack at Cumberland County Middle School.
Maddie and Mary Wright help hand out popcorn with Paula Totten.
Taina Smith smiles with Jayla Glover during the Cumberland Fall Festival Saturday.
Area pastors help put together a fall festival and coat giveaway at Cumberland Middle School Saturday. Pictured are, from left, The Rock Church Pastor Richard Tuttle, Fitzgerald Baptist Church Pastor Barry Vassar, Natalie Vassar, Payne Memorial United Methodist Church Pastor Jerry Drinkard, Cumberland Community Cares representative Jerry Seal, Hatcher Baptist Church pastor Cameron Cloud and Shiloh New Covenant Church Pastor Kyle Corbin.
What started as a coat drive five years ago has grown into a full-fledged community festival with several organizations partnering to provide families with free, clean and warm coats through the winter.
The Cumberland Fall Festival took place Saturday at Cumberland County Middle School. In addition to racks of coats lining the school gymnasium, there was also a free lunch, live music, representatives of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Cumberland Community Cares who provided refreshments and activities, and free popcorn, a bouncy house, balloons and face painting.
There were approximately 585 coats on-site, that included all types in children’s, women’s and men’s sizes. There were hats and gloves available, too. The coats were cleaned and checked for any missing buttons.
Those volunteering with the event said that participants could work with personal shoppers, who would write down the sizes needed and lead them to the options that work best for them.
Volunteers described the event as a community effort, a partnership of several churches and area organizations.
Faith groups involved included representatives of Jones Chapel, better known as The Rock Church, Fitzgerald Baptist Church, Shiloh New Covenant Church, Payne Memorial United Methodist Church and Hatcher Baptist Church.
