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Sheriff’s Office donates coats to homeless shelter



While daytime temperatures this week are mild, overnight lows have been downright chilly, so the donation of more than 50 old uniform coats to United Community Ministries on Wednesday came at a good time.

“Coats are very hard to come by,” shelter manager Taniza Tabb said. “It is a great thing because we have a lot of people in the community that need winter gear and rely upon us.”

When Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone took office last fall, he asked the staff whether they wanted to keep the brown uniforms or change to something new. Stone said the response was overwhelming that a change was desired, and after discussion, they settled on oxford gray pants with dark charcoal shirts.

While other departments still use the brown shirts and pants Nash deputies currently wear, the coats issued to staff members were obsolete, so staff opted to give them to a worthwhile cause after the department patches were removed.

“That is what we are all about: Taking care of our community,” Stone said.

Tabb said the coats – many with removable linings and fur collars – will be distributed along with other donated winter gear later this week and throughout the coming months.

“We greatly appreciate it. It is going to be great for our residents and the community,” she said. “I think style is the last thing someone who has nothing worries about, but the fact that these are high quality and will keep them warm is much more important.”

It is essential, she said, for community members to remember the needs of the homeless throughout the year with donations of clothing, shoes and toiletries especially.

“By donating these items to the shelter, they are helping people right in this community,” Tabb said. “We usually distribute 200 or 250 coats throughout the winter, but it really depends on how many are donated but the need is always there.”

Stone said he believes the community will like the look of the new uniforms once they are rolled out in December. Officials said the approximate $50,000 cost of the change was largely covered by drug forfeiture money with the rest covered by the department’s yearly uniform budget allocation.

“I think we’ll be one of the best-dressed agencies in the nation, and our Nash County citizens should be proud,” Stone said. “It all goes back to serving the community. We take pride in our vehicles, we take pride in our uniforms and we take pride in Nash County.”