Getting in the spirit: Local hotel to conduct coat drive for Beacon

The Courtland Hotel and Aveda Spa Salon, 121 E. First St., is holding a coat drive this season to benefit The Beacon, a local food pantry and community assistance agency.

Cheryl Adamson, co-owner of the business, said the idea for the coat drive started with her grandson.

"My grandson saw someone doing a coat drive and said 'Hey meemaw, we need to do that,'" she said. "Some people don't have money to contribute sometimes. We thought, why not? And nobody else was doing a coat drive."

Staff at the hotel and spa will be accepting winter coats of all types and sizes for adults and children through Dec. 18. Coats can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday at the business.

Staff will give the coats out from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at Community Christian Church during the distribution of gifts to registered families in The Beacon's annual Adopt-A-Child program.

Adamson said "any kind of coat" will be accepted.

"We'll take anything right now," she said. "We need all sizes."

Any coats that are left over may be donated to other local charities that need them, Adamson said.

"We're doing this to help The Beacon and spread Christmas cheer," she said.

Even though there is no box set up inside the business for the coats, people can still bring them in Adamson said she will have a box set up in the coming days.