Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-Utica/Rome) delivered donations from her winter accessories drive to representatives from Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, The Center, and Upstate Cerebral Palsy on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

“Upstate New York is no stranger to extreme winter weather – this December started with a bang,” said Buttenschon. “Storms like that aren’t uncommon, and many hardworking families need help getting the proper winter apparel that this extreme weather demands. I’m eternally grateful to the Mohawk Valley community for helping these great organizations support our less fortunate neighbors.”

Buttenschon’s drive, which ended on Dec. 3, received donations such as hats, gloves and scarfs at various drop-off locations across the 119^th Assembly District. Successful drives like this take a village, and it’s heartening to see the community give back and support each other during rough times, Buttenschon noted.

“On behalf of the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon and her office for this kind donation to our agency,” said Amy Turner, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency. “The hats, scarves and gloves collected during their first donation drive will be distributed to the families in the three counties we serve. It means so much to us to be supported during a high-need time to ensure that our families stay protected and warm during the cold winter months. We appreciate it and we know our families will be appreciative as well.”

“On behalf of everyone at The Center thank you Assemblywoman Buttenschon for the donations,” said Dan Vellone, Executive Assistant from The Center. “A lot of our new immigrant and refugee neighbors come from places that aren’t used to harsh winters so this means a lot.”

“We would like to express our gratitude to Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon as well as the Utica Comets and the Utica City Football Club for including Upstate Cerebral Palsy in the Winter Accessories Drive,” said Geno DeCondo, the executive director of Upstate Cerebral Palsy. “Donations provided to Upstate Cerebral Palsy will be distributed to children and families we service including the nearly 500 students who receive educational services through our Tradewinds Education Center and Early Intervention Programs.”