ATLANTA—Members of the Lay Dominicans from Holy Cross Church recently collected, sorted and transported 256 coats and jackets to help the needy.

The idea to donate coats was inspired by the feast of St. Martin de Porres, the patron saint of social justice and of the Southern Dominican Province. At Holy Cross, the well-known ministry called the Friends of St. Martin de Porres feeds the homeless in downtown Atlanta weekly, provides groceries to many families in the neighborhood and presents an annual theatrical production in February to support the ministry.

Flyers were sent out to local Catholic churches and inserted in the Holy Cross weekly bulletin. On Nov. 4, over 50 donors brought their no longer needed coats and jackets to the Holy Cross assembly room in a steady stream for the two hours designated as the collection time. Coats for men, women, boys, girls and infants were received.

Members of the Lay Dominican group, after collecting and sorting the donations, took the coats to the Clothes Closet of Our Lady of the Americas Mission on New Peachtree Road in Doraville. They also took several bags of other donated items to the nearby St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.

Betty Clermont, coordinator of services at the Mission of Our Lady of the Americas, said that the Clothes Closet routinely gives free clothing to the needy in the neighboring area, including the homeless, immigrant families and refugees.

The group has decided to expand the event into an annual drive and hopes to recruit other parishes into beginning their own drives. Parishes wanting information, such as a sample flyer and “how to” instructions on starting a coat drive, can write to the Lay Dominicans at P.O. Box 94205, Atlanta, GA 31141.

This year the drive will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3, the feast of St. Martin de Porres, in as many churches as possible. Lay Dominicans will help organize this drive in their own parishes which currently include Holy Cross, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Atlanta, St. Patrick’s Church, Norcross, the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Atlanta, and St. Thomas More Church, Decatur. Other parishes are welcome to join the effort.