The First Baptist member accepts sweaters, hoodies, gloves and hats at the church and Chick-fil-A ahead of a November 14 giveaway.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas. Debbie Mason is collecting sweaters, hoodies, gloves, hats, mittens and scarves for Huntsville neighbors who need something warm this winter, and she wants the giveaway to feel personal. Recipients will come in person, pick out what fits, and be offered prayer and a conversation about faith, rather than receiving a bagged donation with no one to talk to.
“I want it to be a God thing, not just give them a coat,” Mason said.
Mason, a Chick-fil-A Huntsville employee and First Baptist Church Huntsville member, moved to Huntsville from Nebraska in 2011. She said the idea came while reading the book Experiencing God, which convinced her to step out of the background and start a service project of her own. She already takes part in Operation Christmas Child and other church drives, but this is her first project to lead.
“God was telling me through that book that I needed to step out and do more, not just be in the background,” Mason said.
She said the need is easy to miss in a Texas winter. Huntsville does not get northern winters, but children still wait for school buses in the cold, and people without housing still need something warm to wear when they cannot find a warm place to sleep. She also noted that parents often buy coats for their children and go without one themselves.
“I have got coats in my closet I never wear,” Mason said.
What to donate and where to bring it
The drive accepts new and gently used winter wear in all sizes, from newborn through adult, including large sizes that Mason said are often hardest to find on coat drives. Teenagers are a special focus. Mason said her 19-year-old grandson wears hoodies all winter rather than coats, which is why the drive asks for hoodies and sweaters alongside traditional coats.
Donations go to First Baptist Church Huntsville or to Chick-fil-A Huntsville through the rest of October and into November.
Distribution is set for Saturday, November 14. Mason said more details on pickup times will follow, and she welcomes other churches and organizations that want to collect winter wear for the giveaway. She kept the first project intentionally small, she said, because she did not want to be overwhelmed, but she is open to partners who want to join in.
Mason was recently named Chick-fil-A Employee of the Month, an honor she said surprised her because she considers friendliness simply part of doing her job. Customers have told her they notice her warmth even from registers away, and she credits that gift to God.
A newcomer to leading, not to serving
Mason is new to leading a project, but she is not new to serving. She moved to Huntsville in 2011 from Council Bluffs, Nebraska, after living in the Beaumont area and in Conroe, and she and her husband Rob Mason attend First Baptist Church Huntsville. Her father retired from the Navy, and she said the family moved often while she was growing up, which taught her to look for ways to fit in and help out wherever she landed.
At Chick-fil-A Huntsville, where she works the front counter, Mason was recently named Employee of the Month. She said the honor surprised her because friendliness feels like part of the job, not something extra. Customers have told her they notice her warmth even from registers away, and she credits that gift to God. She said the same attitude drives the coat drive. She does not want a transaction at a table. She wants a conversation, a prayer and a coat that fits.
She also keeps the project deliberately small for its first year. She said she did not want to be overwhelmed, and she is open to other churches and organizations collecting winter wear for the November 14 giveaway. If the first year works, she said, the drive can grow next winter with more partners and more coats, but the personal part has to stay. Recipients pick out their own items, in person, with someone there to pray with them.
About Debbie Mason and the Warm Wear Drive
Debbie Mason, a Chick-fil-A Huntsville employee and First Baptist Church Huntsville member, is collecting new and gently used winter wear for Huntsville neighbors. Bring donations to First Baptist Church Huntsville or Chick-fil-A Huntsville, and watch for November 14 giveaway details.