Recap: Queen of Harlem (Michelle Smalls) 11th Annual Harlem Coat Drive!

This year’s benchmark event brought out New York’s Channel 7 news which covered the 11th annual coat drive event produced by the “Queen of Harlem” Michelle Smalls. This year’s drive gifted over $100,000 in clothing, electronics (including laptops & smart TVs), and sneakers.

The Hype Magazine’s New York correspondent, Chris Robinson, was on hand as a volunteer at the 11th annual event alongside Kid DJ DJ Sassy J.

Chris Robinson from The Hype Magazine and “Queen of Harlem” Michelle Smalls

On the day of the event, Chris reports that people began forming a line as early as 8 am waiting for doors to open (doors opened at 1 pm), and the lines wrapped around the corner the entire time according to our man on the ground.

All donations came mostly from friends and family of the Queen of Harlem. There were also food, snacks, and a heated bus provided for the families. A special highlight was the dance competition where she gave away high-end items such as a diamond ring and a Burberry bag also!

There was a special rule this year, children went and picked out their own gifts, and parents were not allowed to dictate or decide for children! Michelle declared, “It’s about the kids and only the kids so it’s their choice no matter what it is!”

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