About 40 guests gathered at a Bridle Trails home on Oct. 22 and donated more than 250 coats for people experiencing homelessness in the greater Seattle area.
The second-annual Coats & Cocktails for a Cause was organized by Susan Culverhouse, whom 425 Magazine identified as an Eastside real estate adviser.
Guests brought their favorite bottled beverages to share, mingled, and dropped off coats sized for men, women and children. Aston Martin of Bellevue parked display cars at the gathering.
The coats will go to The More We Love, a nonprofit that works with people facing homelessness, addiction, domestic violence and trafficking across the greater Seattle area.
The organization says on its website that it serves unhoused individuals and families, survivors of sex trafficking and domestic violence, and people battling addictions that have disrupted their lives.
Some of the donated coats will reach people living on the streets in Seattle. Others will go to Pathways Inn, a crisis center the nonprofit runs for women and children, Culverhouse told 425 Magazine.
That matters heading into the colder months.
"Each coat represents a little more warmth and care for someone who needs it," Culverhouse said, according to 425 Magazine.
The More We Love reports on its website that it has provided 6,398 safe nights of shelter and says the cost runs $65 per night.
The nonprofit says it has transformed 1,537 lives through its programs, which include crisis housing and support services for some of the region's most vulnerable residents.
The event marked the second year Culverhouse has opened her Bridle Trails home for the coat drive.
No details about the first year's results are publicly available.
Anyone in crisis can reach The More We Love's 24/7 support line at 425-523-1941.
