Strathmore "Share The Warmth" Coat Drive To Benefit Interfaith Works

Interfaith Works Contact: Charlotte Garvey, 301.807.8819, cgarvey@iworksmc.org

Strathmore Contact: Mike Fila, Bucklesweet Media, 202.636.3503, mike@bucklesweetmedia.com

For Immediate Release

November 2016

INTERFAITH WORKS, STRATHMORE LAUNCH ANNUAL

“Share the Warmth” COAT DRIVE TO HELP FAMILIES IN NEED

Donations accepted at Music Center through Dec. 23 to help families in need

Interfaith Works and Strathmore will again join forces to ensure individuals and families in need have a safer, warmer winter through Share the Warmth, a coat drive for arts patrons and music lovers to give back to their community. Strathmore will collect gently used and new coats, as well as hats, gloves and other cold weather gear, at all Music Center concerts through Dec. 23.

Patrons donating coats will receive a $10 voucher per donated coat, which can be applied to future Strathmore-presented performances and events in the 2016-2017 Season. Donations will be accepted one hour prior to Music Center concerts, and also during regular business hours in the lobby of the Music Center at Strathmore, located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852.

Gently used or new coats in all sizes—adults, children and infants—are welcomed, as well as cold-weather gear, such as hats and mittens. The donations will go to the Interfaith Works Clothing Center, an Interfaith Works program that provides economically vulnerable individuals and families with free clothing and home goods. Last year, the collection drive yielded more than 400 coats to help the families who shop for free at the Center. The Center serves more than 12,000 income-qualified residents, including 5,600 children, annually.

"We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Strathmore and its generous patrons again on this initiative," said Interfaith Works CEO Shane Rock. "Thanks to the coat drive, people facing great personal challenges will stay warm and dry this winter. These donated coats will enable vulnerable families to save their limited funds so they can afford other essentials, like rent, medicine and food. We are fortunate to live in a very generous community." Learn more about the Interfaith Clothing Center here: www.iworksmc.org

About Interfaith Works

The Interfaith Clothing Center, part of Interfaith Works, is located at 751 Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville, Md. Interfaith Works is one of Montgomery County’s leading social service organizations and is celebrating 44 years of service to the economically vulnerable. Interfaith Works helps neighbors in need lift themselves from poverty through prevention, stabilization and empowerment services.

For more information about Interfaith Works, call 301.762.8682 or go to: www.iworksmc.org

About Strathmore

Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The organization’s hallmark is the Music Center at Strathmore, with a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. Its core campus also includes the historic Mansion at Strathmore, which features an intimate Music Room and art galleries. Most recently, Strathmore opened AMP, a 250-seat cabaret-style venue located just up Rockville Pike from the core campus in the burgeoning Pike District of Montgomery County. Strathmore’s signature education, mission-driven programs include the Strathmore Student Concerts and the Artist in Residence program.

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