Dover, DE – As spring temperatures rise the Department of Correction celebrates the success of the annual Operation ZiPP Up clothing campaign that collected a record number of cold weather items for vulnerable area residents this past winter.  Operation ZiPP Up is an all-volunteer program initiated 15 years ago by Probation & Parole Officers and staff to collect donated coats, blankets, gloves, hats, socks and other items.  Donations are solicited from Department of Correction staff and their families each December and are distributed by Probation and Parole to community organizations that serve residents who face homelessness and other critical needs.  This past year the program collected a record 963 items, including 440 coats and 523 hats, gloves, socks, blankets, and other cold weather apparel items.  Over the past 15 years Operation ZiPP Up has collected and distributed 7,778 winter weather items through the generosity of Department of Correction employees.

“The men and women of Delaware Probation and Parole and across the Department of Correction see first-hand the significant needs in our communities, and they continually respond by providing support and a helping hand to meet those basic needs,“ Department of Correction Commissioner Monroe B. Hudson Jr. said.  “I am proud of and inspired by the leadership of Senior Probation Officer Dennis Desilet and the committed Operation ZiPP Up project coordinators and by our DOC employees who go above and beyond by generously donating their time and money to serve others and make our communities stronger.”

Items collected through Operation ZiPP Up are distributed through a network of community-serving non-profits, which include:

• Friendship House of Delaware Newark Empowerment Center
• 1 in 7B Foundation
• The Shepherd Place, Dover
• Love INC of Mid-Delmarva
• Code Purple, Kent County
• Code Purple, Sussex County
• Western Sussex Boys and Girls Club
• Salvation Army of Delaware

The DOC recognized Operation Zipp Up Project Coordinators that helped make Operation ZiPP Up a success this year:

• Cherry Lane Probation & Parole: Kira Bell and Bill Coyle
• Hares Corner Probation & Parole: Samara Carter, Deborah Sanna and Jeff Boykin
• Dover Probation & Parole: Wanda Hill and Ray Hill
• Sussex Probation & Parole: Dawn Stevens and Matt Behornar
• Steven R. Floyd Sr. Training Academy: Victoria Macklin, Richard Negley and Olivia Banton

A group photo of Operation ZiPP Up coordinators and Department of Correction leaders is attached.

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