Thousands of area adults will have new warm clothing this winter thanks to a partnership between Harley-Davidson Motor Company and NewThreads of Hope. On Tuesday November 13th, over fifty community members came together at the NewThreads warehouse to celebrate a truly impressive milestone – since its inception, NewThreads has distributed over $100 million in brand-new clothing and household goods to those around the community in need. To honor this milestone, fifteen areas nonprofit organizations were given $1.2 million of winter clothing, donated by Harley-Davidson to NewThreads, to help keep our neighbors warm this winter.
NewThreads of Hope is a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization that acquires new, first-quality apparel, footwear, home goods, and bed and bath items donated by local and national manufacturers and retailers and shares these products with families in need. By forging strong relationships with non-profit agencies NewThreads fulfills its mission to provide new clothing for new opportunities in our local community, throughout the United States, and Internationally.
NewThreads and Harley-Davidson invited fifteen area organizations to gather at the NewThreads warehouse on Tuesday where volunteers sorted and repackaged over 20,000 Harley-Davidson jackets, pants, sweatshirts, hats, and gloves. The volunteers then loaded the items into dozens of trucks and cars to deliver to those who may need a helping hand keeping their families warm this winter. Participants were overjoyed at the quantity and quality of the Harley-Davidson clothing they were receiving.
“As temperatures begin to drop, NewThreads has been working tirelessly to provide warm shirts, pants, coats, hats, and gloves to those in need in our community,” said Dennis J. Brand, President of NewThreads. “NewThreads and Harley-Davidson have formed a wonderful partnership to help us meet this goal. We thank Harley-Davidson for being such outstanding corporate citizens by supporting NewThreads and, in turn, those throughout our entire community. ”
Harley-Davidson has donated hundreds of thousands of new items to NewThreads over the past few years, with a total value of $6.1 million. Additionally, the company provides NewThreads with financial grants for operating and outreach.
“Harley-Davidson and NewThreads have a shared vision of freedom and independence for everyone,” said Patrick Smith, Vice President and General Manager of General Merchandise for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “Our donation of new clothes helps provide a sense of greater self-sufficiency for people in our community, which is important to all of us at Harley-Davidson.”
Individuals from the Waukesha, Milwaukee and Kenosha areas will benefit from the generosity of Harley-Davidson and the work of NewThreads. Agencies such as The Salvation Army, the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Kenosha’s ELCA Urban Outreach Center, the Grand Avenue Club, St. Ben’s Community Meal program and others all will now all be able to offer warm clothing along with a bit of dignity and hope to our neighbors in need.
For more information about NewThreads of Hope, visit www.newthreads.org.
