Fitchburg – Surrounded by local residents and Cleghorn Neighborhood Community Center members, Sheriff Glodis today announced the success of a citywide coat drive to benefit citizens from the Cleghorn neighborhood.  The Sheriff was joined at the Fitchburg COAP/Office of Community Corrections by Jeff Crowley, President of Wachusett Mountain; Sean Boyce, Director of the Community Center; and Ward 2 City Councilor Norman Boisvert.

“This coat drive is part of our ongoing effort to make the Sheriff’s Department more community-oriented,” Sheriff Glodis stated.  “We want the citizens of Fitchburg to know we’re much more than just a jail; that we care a great deal about the Cleghorn neighborhood and the City of Fitchburg as a whole.”

Through area businesses and private contributions, staff at the COAP office collected over 600 coats, to be distributed by the Cleghorn Neighborhood Community Center.  Mr. Sean Boyce, Director of the Center, thanked the Sheriff and his staff for their hard work: “For the first time in a long time, the Sheriff’s Department has become a partner with the Cleghorn neighborhood.  I can’t imagine where we’d be without them.”  Inmate work crews from the Sheriff’s Department are scheduled to perform a large scale community service project to rehabilitate the Center’s headquarters in January.

Other businesses that assisted with the coat drive include: Wachusett Mountain, Independent Cleaners, Applewild School, Hannaford’s Supermarkets, and the Holy Cross women’s hockey team. 

Ward 2 City Councilor Norm Boisvert was also on hand to take part in the coat drive: “I’d like to thank Sheriff Glodis for initiating this coat drive and being such a good neighbor to Cleghorn residents.  There are a lot of wonderful people in this neighborhood, and I know they appreciate the generosity of everyone involved.”

Mr. Boyce stated that the 600 coats will benefit more than 97 families in the Cleghorn neighborhood.