By Karen Haave
A winter-wear drive to help migrants, who might have been dropped off in Crete, turned out to be unnecessary, after all. The humanitarian effort, spearheaded by Police Chief Scott Pieritz, inspired Crete residents to donate hundreds of coats, hats, gloves, and blankets. But unlike other suburban towns, the village never experienced the busloads of unscheduled intercity buses discharging asylum seekers picked up in Texas.
So, the cold weather clothing collected was never distributed in Crete. But Pieritz said the donations will be put to good use.
“Earlier this year, the police department conducted a winter-wear drive due to the potential impact of the migrant crisis in our area. Fortunately, we did not see a direct impact, as Crete does not have a major transportation hub (train, bus, etc.), where most of these migrants were being dropped. We did see an unbelievable outpouring by the community to donate coats, hats, gloves, and blankets.
“I have partnered with United Way of Will County, who picked up these donations and will be distributing them back into the Will County community for residents in need and organizations who assist the public.
“It is great to see these items helping out our communities. In addition, United Way gave us stuffed animals to hand out to children we may come across on calls for service,” he added.
“Thank you to all who donated!”