The official Reinhart Realtors coat drive began on Nov. 1, 2024 for its 28th year of collecting new or gently used coats at any office locations in Ann Arbor, Saline, Chelsea, or any Reinhart open houses.
Over the years, Reinhart has collected 31,400 coats, and the need for them only continues to grow. Michelle Armbruster, a local Ann Arbor Reinhart realtor, has been working with the company to collect coats for women in need.
“Reinhart’s Coat Drive is a way to give back to the community that has chosen Reinhart as their Real estate broker for so many years,” she said. “Many of our organizations we donate to are also recipients of our Reinhart Charitable Foundation funds”
The coat drive has had a massive impact on the local community, benefitting local shelters, foster care facilities, schools, and community outreach programs. A few notable ones are Ozone House, Michigan Foster Care Closet, and Saline Social Services House.
“The opportunity to work with the community to provide coats to so many needy people has been so rewarding,” Armbruster said. “It gives our agents, staff, and clients a way to come together toward a great cause.”
The Reinhart organization takes great pride in working hard to provide the resources people need when the weather gets colder. The process of planning it takes effort, especially from their “coat drive captains”, one being Jennifer Fry, a Reinhart Charitable Foundation Board member.
“Jennifer Fry spearheads this drive every year,” she said. “Each of the coat drive captains place a donation box in the entry of their building. Many of them pick up coats from clients’ homes to add to the collection. The captains also deliver the coats to the participating organizations.”
Coats are also accepted at all six Reinhart Sales offices as well as open houses on Sundays through November. All of the coats are washed or dry cleaned by the Reinhart agents and staff at home or at laundromats before they are donated.
While they face challenges like dry cleaning costs and coordinating drop-off times, the Reinhart company has noble goals for the upcoming winter season.
“We’d love to beat our record of 2,300 new and used coat donations this year.”
