Super Bowl visitors leave behind some Minnesota Nice, donating winter gear to Twin Cities homeless

Super Bowl visitors, it turns out, were more than eager to shed all that extra winter gear before returning to states boasting warmer weather.

A last-minute effort, dubbed Pass Your Parka, collected hundreds of winter clothing items that many ill-prepared visitors to Minneapolis spontaneously purchased to protect themselves from subzero temps. Now, it’s all going to homeless people in need.

“This is stuff that’s going to help people,” said Nancy Killilea of Edina, who led the effort.

Killilea got the idea last week after hearing that a Texan bought heavy-duty winter boots just for the Minnesota trip, but had no use for them afterward. She quickly launched the collection drive, setting out boxes at 13 downtown Minneapolis hotels, with a simple plea: “Wherever you’re going, it’s warmer than here.”

On Tuesday, she delivered bins filled with 450 winter items — from parkas, hats, hand-warmers, winter boots and even Super Bowl jackets to St. Stephen’s Human Services and the House of Charity, both of which assist people experiencing homelessness.

While Killilea guessed that half of the items came from visitors, Minnesotans also pitched in, donating items such as a leather Wild jacket, a Twins blanket and 2,182 shirts, hats and other winter gear from the Super Bowl Host Committee.

http://www.startribune.com/super-bowl-visitors-leave-behind-some-minnesota-nice-donating-winter-gear-to-twin-cities-homeless/473249413/