Mister Rogers' Sweater Drive

Anyone with a new or lightly used sweater can carry on the giving spirit of children's television pioneer Fred Rogers in the first week of November.

The "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" sweater drive is collecting sweaters for school children and their families citywide as part of a drive to help fill local school district clothing banks with family clothing appropriate for milder Arizona winters. The goal for the drive is 10,000 sweaters.

People can drop off new or clean and gently-worn sweaters at any Shaffer Dry Cleaning & Laundry store beginning Nov. 1 until Nov. 7. A list of Shaffer locations with maps can be found on the Shaffer website at www.ShafferDryCleaning.com.

Both adult and children's sweaters are welcome. Sweaters from the drive will be donated directly to school clothing banks in the Metro Tucson area. The finale for the "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" sweater drive is Saturday, Nov. 7 on the University of Arizona Mall, where sweaters can be dropped off at the Arizona Public Media family tent during UA Homecoming celebrations. The tent will be hosting family-friendly and PBS Kids-themed games and activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the UA Mall. While supplies last, McDonalds will offer a coupon good for one free ice cream cone for sweater donations.

Horizon Moving Systems has generously donated transportation services for the sweaters, and Diamond Ventures has donated funds for promotional materials.

The "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" sweater drive is a partnership between McDonalds Owners of Southern Arizona, Shaffer Dry Cleaning & Laundry Horizon Moving Systems, Diamond Ventures and Arizona Public Media. More information on the drive and educational television programming can be found on the Arizona Public Media website at www.AZpublicmedia.org or by calling 621-5828.