New County Motor Cars held the ‘Stuff a MINI to the Max’ coat drive in West Hartford and other area towns, and as a result more than 100 Hartford kids received winter coats and outerwear.

Ben Wetmore, Levi Flaherty, and Sam Herman from New Country MINI were greeted by Hartford Public School Superintendent Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez and staff when they delivered more than 100 coats collected through New Country’s 2nd Annual “Stuff a MINI to the Max” campaign. Happy Hartford students model their new coats. Submitted photo

Submitted

Two MINI Coopers rolled into the Hartford Public School Welcome Center on Dec. 21 stuffed with more than 100 winter coats and outerwear collected during the dealership’s “Stuff the MINI to the Max” campaign. New Country kicked off the charity drive in November by accepting donations of new and gently used coats, mittens, boots, hats, and blankets for children ranging from pre-K through high school at the company’s Hartford showroom. They also took the show on the road and accepted donations at Cabela’s in East Hartford, West Hartford Center and Somerset Square in Glastonbury on Saturdays in December.

“We love being able to help the kids and look forward seeing them every time,” said Sam Herman, Sales Manager of New Country MINI. “We would not have collected as much as we did if it weren’t for the kind retailers and Dorjan Puka, owner/chef of Treva and A’Vert restaurants in West Hartford, who gave us a space to park the MINI and make it convenient for more people to drop off items.”

Hartford Public School Superintendent Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez and other officials were on hand to personally thank the New Country MINI representatives when they dropped off the clothing.

“We are so grateful to New Country for holding this collection for us,” said Marta Bentham, Director of Family Services and Ombudsman of Hartford Public Schools’ Welcome Center.  “We were able to immediately outfit children with a much needed coat just in time for the holidays.”