HAZARD, Ky. (LEX 18) — Devine Carama wears many hats, and one of them is as the founder of Believing in Forever, Inc., a non-profit that mentor’s youth and teaches the values of community service. Every year this group collects coats for those in need.
Carama says, "Brand new coats obviously post pandemic you know we want to be safe, so they're all brand new coats. Most of the donations come from everyday folks like we're not a super big organization, we don't have a lot of funding, just as people come in and pitching in donating five coats here, 10 coats here. And we pull it all together for this big coat drive."
Yesterday, U-Haul was filled up, delivering nearly 2,000 coats in central Kentucky. Today, Carama is delivering, in eastern Kentucky -- hoping to make a difference for those impacted by this summer's floods.
He says, "It's just been a hard go of it for Kentucky, period. Our friends on the western part of the state with the tornadoes, obviously, the floods in eastern Kentucky, gun violence in central Kentucky. So a lot of families are in need, so this year we saw that need grow."
Carama's nonprofit is giving out around 5,000 coats in total. And as the temperatures get colder outside, he says that those brand-new coats can mean everything to a child in need.
"It means a lot to be able to answer that call as a community, and just in time as the temperatures really start to drop. And so today it's just a labor of love, just out grinding, getting these coats where they need to go,” explains Carama.
Carama has stopped at several non-profits -- each one sharing how grateful they are for the coats and what it will mean to those that get them. From one non-profit to another, he says it's a responsibility to help the community.
Carama explains, "It will be on just keeping them physically warm but what is that going to do that and psychologically and in their heart? And hopefully it will inspire them to pay it forward one day. And so that's what it's all about."
