With the leaves changing colors and the nights getting colder, November is a time to get cozy inside. It’s also a time when the less fortunate among us need a little help. There are many ways to pitch in.

Coats for Colorado

As I admired my partner’s Halloween decorations snug in a light hoodie, I realized I’d soon need a coat. So I went through my storage and discovered I have way too many.

Luckily, Coats for Colorado’s annual drive is still on.

This drive that began as a grassroots effort in the early 1980s has distributed more than 2 million coats.

To participate, take your unwanted coats to any Dependable Cleaners location and they take care of everything else — from cleaning them to getting them to where they need to be. About 120 local nonprofits are part of the effort to get the coats to people who need them.

Coats for children and adults should be in good condition, without tears, missing buttons, or broken zippers. Monetary donations are not accepted, but new coats are. You can buy one and donate it.

There are many Dependable Cleaners locations in Denver proper, with the main branch located at 1701 S. Broadway, which borders the Platt Park and Overland neighborhoods.

The Coats for Colorado drive runs through Nov. 30.

Colorado Gives Day

Last November, I remember being on the phone with a customer service representative based out of state. I don’t remember what the call was for but somehow we got on the topic of Colorado Gives Day. The rep thought it was the coolest thing and wished her state had something like it.

Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 6 this year.

The website describes it this way: an annual “statewide movement to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving.”

A perk of giving specifically on Colorado Gives Day is that nonprofits also receive a portion of the Community First Foundation’s $1 million Incentive Fund. This year, from Nov. 1-Dec. 5, givers can schedule a donation to go through on Dec. 6.

Every registered nonprofit is eligible to receive Colorado Gives Day donations. To make selecting the nonprofit you wish to donate to easier, browse by location, cause and keyword. Or, if you already know the nonprofit you want to donate to, type in the specific name.

A way to give to our Colorado Community Media journalists

It may seem like the only way to participate in local journalism is by writing a letter to the editor, sending a press release or being a source for a story. Well, there’s another way you can be part of our work.

Our reporters and editors are toiling on a newsroom-wide special project called The Long Way Home. This series, expected to publish in early 2023, examines the affordability and availability of housing across the metro area. It’s part of a campaign supported by the nonprofit Local Media Foundation, which works to ensure the future of journalism as a pillar of a strong democracy.

Donations help support our work, including covering print costs for dozens of Colorado Community Media newspapers and the Denver Voice, a publication we partnered with for the series, as well as publication online, including a Spanish version. 

Learn more about our The Long Way Home project here.

You can also support CCM’s efforts through the #newsCOneeds campaign. With this, the Colorado Media Project will match up to $5,000 for new individual memberships, donations, subscriptions or contributions made between 8 a.m. on Nov. 29 and midnight on Dec. 31.

To learn more about #newsCOneeds, visit coloradomediaproject.com.

To learn more about Colorado Community Media’s many newspapers, including the one you’re reading, visit www.coloradocommunitymedia.com.