SANTA FE, New Mexico, October 22, 2018— Del Norte Credit Union (DNCU), Northern New Mexico’s hometown financial cooperative is collecting coats of all sizes for six organizations to help at risk youth across Northern New Mexico. Del Norte Credit Union’s mission of improving lives is bringing communities together to help children and adults facing hardships during the cold winter months. DNCU is asking staff, credit union members and guests to drop off new or gently used coats from October 22nd through November 30th  at any one of our six branch locations.

“The response from our members and staff in the past several years has been the driving force for the expansion of our coat drive. Our goal is for every child across Northern New Mexico to have a winter coat. DNCU is working with six organizations that will deliver the coats collected to local children and individuals throughout Northern New Mexico.” says Chuck Valenti, DNCU’s CEO/President.

This year, the Esperanza Shelter, St. Elizabeth Shelter’s Casa Familia, and the Adelante Program of SFPS will be recipients of all coats collected at the Santa Fe DNCU locations.

According to Marcos Zubia, Board President of Esperanza Shelter, “DNCU helping our clients at Esperanza Shelter keep warm this winter season is what this community is known for. We come together and help each other. We are honored to have Del Norte Credit Union’s support again this year.”

Two organizations in Espanola will receive the coats collected at the DNCU office at  1216 N. Paseo De Oñate. 3HO and the Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico serve at-risk youth in Rio Arriba during difficult times. 3HO has committed to deliver coats to the local schools while the Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico works with families at their location. “We are beyond thankful to have DNCU as a partner during this time of year. Thank you for giving back to the families in our community,” says Northern New Mexico Crisis Center’s Operations Manager Kimberly Lucero.

The DNCU locations in Los Alamos and White Rock will collect coats for the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB) of Los Alamos that connects at risk youth at the schools with basic needs, case managers, and other support services. “JJAB is excited to partner with Del Norte Credit Union for this year’s coat drive. (JJAB) is a non-profit organization that strives to value, celebrate, and appreciate all the youth of our community—this coat drive, in essence, will help us further our mission. Thank you DNCU” says Lisa Zuhn, JJAB Coordinator. For more information visit dncu.org

About Del Norte Credit Union  
Chartered in 1954, Del Norte Credit Union is a not-for-profit cooperative dedicated to helping its members achieve financial success by being a trusted source of unbiased financial advice. Today DNCU serves more than 50,000 members throughout New Mexico.