Free Winter Coats, Potatoes to Be Distributed at D.C. Armory Saturday

Hundreds of gently used winter coats and other clothing and more than 11 tons of potatoes will be distributed for free Saturday at the D.C. Armory.

The potato and coat giveaway is one of several annual events held by Helping Hands Inc, a local charity that also gives away food for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This is the first event that Helping Hands has hosted at the Armory at 192 19th Street SE. Helping Hands have collected a large amount of gently used winter clothing and at least 450 50 pound bags of potatoes, more than 11 tons.

Greg Baldwin, the president of Helping Hands, said the organization gets bulk shipments of food and other donated items and distributes them for free whenever it can.

There is no need to pre-register for the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and everything will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those interested in volunteering to help set up the event can arrive between 7:45 and 8 a.m. to help sort the clothes into men’s, women’s and children’s areas.

Photo via Helping Hands, Inc.