Winter Storm Izzy blew into Western North Carolina over the weekend, bringing several inches of snow to Macon County. Just as nightfall set in on Saturday, volunteers with the 13th annual Cold for a Cause event called for the annual donation drive to end a little earlier for the safety of volunteers and those planning to donate.
Tim Crabtree, owner of Motor Company Grill and Crabtree General Store and Jacob Reiche, owner of Smart Pharmacy, had each volunteered their time to be suspended high above the Georgia Road in Macon County in a crane the use of which was donated by Sanders Crane Services. Volunteers stayed on hand to receive donations of coats, jackets, canned goods and other items to benefit Macon County Care Network including the Rotary Club and local Boy Scouts.
For the second year, the event was held at Franklin Plaza, in hopes the traffic visibility would boost donations of canned goods, blankets, and coats for those in need in the community.
More than $2,500 was collected along with three full-to-the-brim box trucks of donations. Even though the event ended early, the total donations were about the same as last year.
For the past 13 years, more than 6,000 pieces of clothing and blankets, and close to 10,000 pounds of food and personal care products have been donated annually. The event, which was started by Patrick Jenkins as a way to give back to the community, has grown each year to become one of the largest collection drives for CareNet.
