Drawing a direct line from problem to solution, for the second year Doug Mirabelli dipped into his wallet to make sure that area children stayed warm this winter.
A member of the Boston Red Sox World Championship teams in both 2004 and 2007, Mirabelli's generosity makes him a winner to hundreds of families.
Mirabelli presided over a shopping spree Sunday morning at TJ Maxx, where volunteers and 14 senior store staff rang up just over $12,000 worth of coats, snow pants, boots, hats and mittens. Many of these 600-700 items are already being worn by area children, who can now romp outside and get exercise without getting soaked and cold.
The items are being distributed into the community thanks to number of churches, schools and charitable organizations.
"The whole point was to get these coats out here and get them into hands of kids who need them,” said Mirabelli, a catcher who completed his 12th major league season in 2007. "That's all we ever wanted it to be, not about Doug Mirabelli, TJ Maxx or the Boston Red Sox.”
Mirabelli is connected to Traverse City thanks to his wife, Kristin, and they live here part time. He inaugurated the coat drive in 2006, also putting money into that effort himself. This year he coordinated with the Red Sox Foundation and TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx that is based in Framingham, Mass.
"It came together so quickly,” Mirabelli noted.
Anticipating the one-day demand, TJ Maxx stores around the country shipped winter merchandise to Traverse City to ensure there was enough stock on hand. Just before the store officially opened on Sunday morning, volunteers began wheeling shopping carts heaped with bags of coats and other winter items out of the mall to a fleet of waiting vehicles.
The items were distributed to organizations including Love, Inc., Head Start, Bay Pointe Community Church, Faith Reformed Church, the Traverse City Area Public Schools, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools, Trinity Lutheran, the Women's Resource Center and the Father Fred Foundation.
"It's really nice for the community, there's a lot of need for it,” said Kathy Keller, store manager of the Traverse City TJ Maxx, where staff members donned Boston Red Sox caps and T-shirts for the occasion.
At Bay Pointe Community Church, members donated 55 pairs of boots to accompany the winter gear distributed so far to approximately 100 children and counting. That church also facilitated passing out items at Interlochen, Long Lake, Silver Lake and Westwoods elementary schools, donating additional pieces to the Women's Resource Center's shelter, Goodwill and the Doula Teen Parent Program.
Pat Voice, director of Love for Children at the Presbyterian Church, sent more than 100 coats Tuesday morning to Head Start and planned to send about that many to the Grand Traverse Baby Pantry.
"We feel really blessed that he's chosen to do this and help us direct it to the Head Start families,” said Voice. "Early childhood is such a vulnerable time, if you don't get a good start it can affect you your whole life.”
Voice noted that she connected with Mirabelli last year thanks to his mother-in-law, who has connections with the Presbyterian Church.
"He just kind of showed up out of the blue,” she recalled of the 200 coats distributed last year. "We just really appreciate the generosity and I know the families do.”