| Nittany Lion basketball players box up coats for Operation Warm. |
University Park, Pa., Jan. 6, 2005 - Members of the Penn State men's basketball team helped deliver over 1,000 coats to Operation Warm following the New Year. The coats were collected from Penn State fans that attended Penn State's Dec. 31st victory over Mount St. Mary's and the Jan. 1 women's game vs. Indiana. Nittany Lion fans received admittance to the games for $5 upon donation of a coat.
Penn State players Mike Walker, Ben Luber, David Jackson, Brandon Hassell, Will Leiner and Danny Morrissey helped box the coats up and hauled them to vans waiting at the Bryce Jordan Center to take them for distribution.
"New Year's is often associated with fresh starts and setting goals for the coming year," said Greg Myford, Penn State Associate Athletic Director. "What more fundamental, rewarding goal is there than providing someone in need a basic necessity, such as a winter coat? The truth is that this effort warms up not just the recipient, but the giver as well."
Operation Warm is a non-profit organization based out of Philadelphia that distributes winter clothing to those in need throughout the coldest months of the year. The coats received during the Penn State basketball games will be distributed to those in need throughout Centre County.
Earlier this season the Nittany Lions helped deliver 500 pounds of food to the State College Area Food Bank that was collected during a the Nittany Lions victory over Nicholls State on Nov. 23.