Korean Dry Cleaners Donate Clothes to Homeless

NEW YORK — On Friday, December 9, the Korean Dry Cleaners association and the Neighborhood Cleaners association dropped-off over 6,000 items of winter clothing at the Brooklyn Borough Hall, which will be helping to keep New York City's homeless population warm this winter.

"There is a chill in the air, but Brooklynites all over the city have a warm spot for those who are struggling to make ends meet," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz." Thank you to the Korean Dry Cleaners Association and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association for gathering this clothing—I know it will mean so much to the thousands of Brooklynites and New Yorkers during the freezing months ahead."

In the spirit of showing his appreciation to the Brooklyn Korean community, Markowitz added that, "Here in Brooklyn, we are all just a little bit Korean."

Mr. Shi-Yong Khim of the Korean Dry Cleaners Association spoke of the great effort that went into collecting the clothing. He told of workers volunteering to stay late and of others who waited for hours in the cold to receive donated items. He stressed that everyone involved had donated his or her time with a heart devoted to helping those less fortunate than themselves.

"We have been doing this for the last 19 or 20 years," said Khim. "I was thinking that in New York City there are so many people in need—affliction is everywhere."

Francis Choy, an assistant director for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association, told of the deep appreciation he and his community feel to the United States for providing them with the freedom and opportunity to build the lives they have today.

"We can say we were quite accepted by the United States," said Choy. "We are first generation immigrants. The U.S. welcomed us. We raised children and bought a house, and now we do our business—We think this is a wonderful country. We would like to return a little bit, from our hearts, to the people of this country that are not as lucky as we've been. We want to show them some warmth from their neighbors."

Deputy commissioner Fran Winter of Homeless Services First was on hand to collect the clothing and make sure it gets properly distributed among the area's homeless. The clothing will be taken to three shelters in Brooklyn—the Atlantic Armory at 1322 Bedford Ave., the Barbara Kleinman Shelter at 300 Skillman Ave., and the Kingsborough 6 at 681 Clarkson Ave. Clothing will also be distributed to the 30th Street Men's Shelter in Manhattan, as well as other shelters run directly by the Department of homeless Services.