Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jacqueline Siatti could be shopping for the hottest new sweater from J. Crew. She could be in a dark theater watching New Moon, the latest movie in the Twilight saga.

Instead, she spent Friday morning in the basement of the Cathedral of St. John Episcopal Church, where the annual Winter Coat Exchange was taking place. Now in its 13th year, the Coat Exchange is the brainchild of Greg Gerritt, who thinks there are better things to do on the day after Thanksgiving than waiting in line for a flat-screen television at Wal-Mart.

On Friday, the busiest day in the U.S. retail calendar, thousands of activists from around the world show their disdain for consumer binging by participating in Buy Nothing Day, a protest against commercial excess.

Siatti, a senior at North Kingstown High School, was here at the urging of her volleyball coach, who has woven community service into the notion of team spirit. At the beginning of the season, coach Vicki Tefft told her girls that they would be participating in a series of service projects.

"I feel like we are very blessed," Tefft said Friday. "But sometimes we don't recognize it until we do something for others."

Siatti, who is writing a story about Black Friday and the Coat Exchange for her student newspaper, collected 65 coats from her family, friends and neighbors and, together with her parents, delivered them to the church.

"It's so crazy, the way we over-indulge," Siatti said. "This really puts things into perspective. It gives a face to all of the numbers you hear about on the news."

(This entry was first posted at 10:25 a.m. and updated at 11:33 a.m.)

 Tags  coat exchange economy Newport RI Pawtucket RI Providence RI South Kingstown RI Woonsocket RI

Comments

Rob Goldman said:

Good for Ms. Siatti, Ms. Teft and as always Greg Gerrit! Buy Nothing Day is really the right spirit of the season.

Link | November 27, 2009 7:07 PM
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Arthur Plitt said:

Also remember there were thousands of folks helped also at Pawtucket with some great volunteers and lots of support from local business, houses of worship, universities and agencies that are online at the NAP website.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/NAP-_Neighborhood_Alliance_of_Pawtucket/info

Link | November 28, 2009 11:04 AM
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