MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Administrators at Morgantown area hotels have joined together to make a final push towards a community clothing drive aimed at keeping people warm during the winter.
Hotel lobbies at six different hotels located within Morgantown have set up donation boxes that will be open as part of the 2025-26 Winter Clothing Drive that will be hosted until January 16. Donations will be accepted at the La Quinta Inn and Suites on Gateway Drive, the Hotel Morgan on High Street, the Residence Inn on Willowdale Road, the Hilton Garden Inn at the Suncrest Town Center, the Holiday Inn on Pineview Drive, and the Candlewood Suites on Willie G Avenue.
“People can drop off new or gently used coats, so if your resolution is to clean out closets, this is a great way to help that,” said Luminous Hotels LLC (operator of the La Quinta Inn and Suites) Director of Digital Marketing Treasa Esposito.
For those wishing to donate, winter coats and clothing donations will be accepted at all six lodging locations, regardless of age, gender, or size. According to Esposito, the donation boxes will be located near the front desk of each hotel lobby with signs showcasing where items will be accepted. Donations will be accepted at each location during operating hours.
“Anything for men, all different sizes we’re collecting, and the same thing for women and also for children,” said Esposito. “So there’s no limit, everything is needed, and everything is appreciated.”
According to Esposito, the effort to bring other organizations together began when Luminous Hotel LLC administrators reached out to Visit Mountaineer Country CVB to see if other lodging businesses would be willing to take part in the 2025-26 Winter Coat Drive. Each of the five other hotel partners agreed to participate within weeks of receiving the invitation, with each location accepting donations starting in early December. An effort that organizers with Luminous Hotels LLC greatly appreciated.
“This is for the benefit of the community, we all work here, we all live here,” said Esposito. “And I was really happy that we had such a great response from some of the other hotels in Morgantown.”
All donations from the 2025-26 Winter Coat Drive will be directed to Morgantown area nonprofits that offer clothing as part of their offerings to more vulnerable residents in the community. The distributions will take place over the course of the winter, which has already seen temperatures dip into the 10-degree range within the past month. With more cold weather expected heading into the spring, Morgantown area hotel providers encourage residents to help others who may be in need.
“This is to help Morgantown, all donations that are collected across our hotel partners in the area will be kept in Morgantown to help our residents,” said Esposito.