Charlie Pitner is a familiar face at the Bridge of Lubbock.
And he should be.
For the past 5 years, he’s donated bags and bags filled with coats that he’s collected through his very own coat drive.
“We have drop off locations all over Lubbock and we just bring them all together and sort them into sizes, bag them and bring them here,” Pitner explains.
All so complete strangers aren’t cold in the winter months.
“I don’t want to see people cold because I hate being cold myself,” said Pitner.
Every single one of them collected and donated because he decided to make a difference.
“I was listening to the radio and they were doing a coat drive where you donate $40 a month and that buys a coat so I wanted to do something like that,” Pitner explains. “So we started getting together with our church and started collecting some and brought them here.”
And did you know he’s only 11 years old?
“I think my first year I had 230 something and this year we have 1,024,” Pitner beams. “It makes me joyful.”
And that joy is contagious.
“It’s a great relief to know that that’s taken care of,” explains Bridge of Lubbock Director Whitney Owen. “Just the fact that 1,000 people are going to be blessed with coats and when it gets really cold a coat just warms you and hopefully warms their soul as well.”
And even though he knows he’s made a huge difference, Pitner is still humble.
And hopes he can be a role model for other kids his age and everyone in our community.
If you would like to volunteer like Charlie Pitner, contact the Volunteer Center of Lubbock at (806) 747-0551.
