The Wall Street Journal suggests that the average man should own three different coats. But some people, especially the homeless in our own community, do not even have one coat to get them through the winter season. Rather than sit by and let this continue to be the norm, North Allegheny’s chapter of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) sought to make a difference.

“The winter season is an especially trying period for many, and North Allegheny DECA sought to provide warmth to the homeless in our local community.” said Hannah Shin, the PA DECA State President and North Allegheny’s own DECA President.

Especially in the wake of COVID-19, the need for coats for the homeless is ever increasing.

“COVID-19 has further exacerbated the severity of this time, and we believed that it would be timely and impactful to run this drive in order to contribute what we could. Mrs. Sullivan, our devoted advisor, also had some extra coats lying around and suggested that we do this drive to serve many in need,” Shin said.

Throughout the past few weeks, the DECA Coat Drive was gaining more and more attention at both NAI and NASH. It was nearly impossible to not notice the large sign and multitude of boxes in the cafeteria foyer at NASH this week.

“I think the drive was amazing. We were consistently getting new coats for the past couple weeks from both NASH and NAI and I am excited to see how many coats we end up with in total.” said DECA Community Service Co-Chair Sreeja Yellapragada.

DECA’s other Community Service Co-Chair, Tanya Gupta, is also optimistic about the results of the Coat Drive. 

“The coat drive [is going] really well,” she said. “Our boxes are overflowing at NASH and NAI, and we will soon organize and count the donations.”

After all the coats are counted and collected, DECA intends on sending their bounty to a local Pittsburgh organization called Outreached Arms.

“Mrs. Volpe told us about them,” Gupta added. “They provide relief for Pittsburgh’s homeless community. They are preparing for the winter right now, and they really need hats, gloves, jackets, and coats, so the donations will go to them.”

Yallapragada estimates that at least ten boxes full of coats were donated by NASH alone. 

“I can guarantee this drive has set the bar high for future donation drives,” Yellapragada said.

DECA has four values that describe their mission. Competence, innovation, integrity, and teamwork make up the core of what DECA represents nationally and locally. The coat drive specifically targets the teamwork aspect of what makes DECA unique. 

But not only does the drive honor the organization’s pillars, it creates “a community-oriented mindset,” according to Shin. “DECA as a whole is committed to channeling personal and professional growth to create meaningful impact on communities of varying scales, and this coat drive has been one of NA DECA’s favorite outlets of service.”

The coat drive, which ended on Friday, is only the start of DECA’s service goals this year. The organization intends on fundraising with their state charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to critically ill children and youth. As the holiday season quickly approaches, Shin and the rest of NA DECA have come up with ideas embracing the festive time of year.

“We will continue to encourage our members to engage in writing letters to Santa through Macy’s Believe initiative, an annual fundraiser in support of Make-A-Wish. Beyond Make-A-Wish, we plan to make holiday cards for Vincentian Home residents. We are [also] brainstorming an event near Valentine’s Day to spread positive messages throughout our student body and collect donations,” said Shin.

NA DECA’s attitude for continuing their service projects remains strong, and NASH can only hope that it stays that strong all year.