Coats were stacked, and clippers were buzzing Saturday at Missionary Union Baptist Church as families made their way to the Cuts and Coats event.
What started as a small effort to “bless 50 people with coats” three years ago has grown to collect and give away 500 coats on Saturday, said Darnell Madison, event organizer and founder of the I AM Mentoring program.
“It’s just grown,” he told The Dispatch during the event. “The more we put out, the more people want to partner with us and donate. It’s just been a growing … and evolving thing, so it’s been a blessing.”
Madison, a deputy for the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, founded I AM Mentoring in 2022 when he was working for Columbus Police Department. The program aims to connect with young people in need of role models through mentoring and community outreach.
“The program was actually designed to show them that when you come up, you have to give back,” Madison said. “Outreach was definitely a big part of the program.”
Madison started the coat drive in 2023 after seeing fewer similar efforts when compared to holiday food and toy drives. Donations for Saturday’s giveaway exceeded the totals from the two previous years combined, he said. Any coats left after the event are set to be donated.
“A lot of people that didn’t do it last year wanted to be a part of this year because it’s just growing,” he said. “So the community has really rallied around not just the coat drive but the mission of community first.”
Justin Brewer, barber for Gorilla Fadez Barbershop, joined that mission this year, offering free haircuts to kids Saturday during the event. Along with teaching barber classes to youth, he said he often partners with organizations to provide haircuts, especially during the holidays.
“It makes me feel good (when they love their haircuts),” Brewer told The Dispatch. “I’m helping build confidence. So it makes me feel good to see them smile, and it makes me feel good about my work too.”
Madison said the free haircuts were added this year to help ease families’ holiday expenses.
“It gets costly during the wintertime with presents and traveling,” he said. “The holiday season is just expensive, so we can take that load off of them.”
Brenda Edmonds said she brought her two grandsons to the event Saturday for new coats and fresh haircuts and to show organizers their efforts are appreciated.
“I think it’s important because there are families that (are) in need that don’t have the money to provide for their children to get coats,” Edmonds told The Dispatch. “At this time of year, times are hard. More or less, life is (hard). I think it was an awesome job that they decided to do this.”
Wendy Blunt, a teacher in the Columbus Municipal School District who helped organize the event, said she sees that need firsthand.
“I think this is one of the hardest Christmases for a lot of people,” Blunt said. “… It’s OK to receive. It’s OK to ask for help.”
Madison said I AM Mentoring plans to host more events after the new year, and he hopes to see other ideas take shape in the community to support those in need.
“I just think we have to be proactive,” he said. “Everything starts with an idea. I think everybody has an idea, but it’s going to take passion for us to really change the culture of the community right now.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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