Spread out across the park’s many paths, benches and playground structures, the clothes were placed throughout the park grounds as part of the “Bundle UP MQT” initiative, an effort spearheaded by Spread Goodness Day founder Anna Dravland to provide warm winter clothing for the community.

New and used winter clothing items such as jackets, hats, scarves, mittens and more were donated by the public through Bennett Media Group in downtown Marquette and ModelTots and Dis n’ Dat in Gwinn.

Dravland and a number of volunteers placed the items throughout the park on Saturday morning. Once set up, the volunteers disappeared and the clothes remained there throughout the day for anybody to take, no questions asked.

Dravland borrowed the idea from the “Spread Sunshine Gang,” a nonprofit organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota, that spreads kindness and pays it forward while creating events similar to this one that allow others to do the same.

Winter clothing items are laid out at Harlow Park in downtown Marquette as part of the “Bundle UP MQT” initiative on Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Anna Dravland)

Dravland is a Sunshine Ambassador for the group, which also holds an event titled “Bundle Up, MN” in its own community.

Dravland deemed the event a success, saying hundreds of items were donated by the public.

“We had at least 500 items donated, likely more,” she said. “A lot of brand-new coats, hats, mittens and socks.”

Dravland added that roughly 75% of the items were taken by members of the community. The items that remained at the end of the day will be donated to a variety of local nonprofits.

Dravland also thanked the community for making the event possible.

“This only works because the community was so generous,” she said. “All I really did was create this new event and put a box out for it to be donated to. Then me and a few volunteers just put the donations out at the park and we told people to come and get it.

“I really want to make sure that the community gets credit for being so generous.”

For more information on Dravland’s main initiative, Spread Goodness Day,”visit www.spreadgoodnessday.com. Spread Goodness Day aims to inspire kindness and good deeds on a global level. Now entering its fourth year, the annual event is slated for March 12.

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.