It doesn't matter if they are skinny or baggy, indigo or faded blue.
As long as the jeans are in good condition, county library officials want them.
Starting today, the nine member libraries of the Lackawanna County Library System will kick off "Just Jeans January" - a month-long collection drive for patients at Clarks Summit State Hospital.
Spearheaded by Leah Rudolph, director of the Abington Community Library, the drive is aimed at providing the hospital's mental health patients with more clothing, as many patients arrive with "just the clothes on their back," Mrs. Rudolph said.
"As a member of the Lackawanna County Medical Society Alliance, I found out about the hospital's need for clothing," Mrs. Rudolph said. "When I asked how we could help, they said a blue jean drive would be great."
Efforts to reach hospital Superintendent Thomas Comerford and volunteer director Patricia King were unsuccessful.
The acute-care psychiatric hospital in Clarks Summit has capacity for 242 patients, according to the Department of Public Welfare's website. It serves Lackawanna and 10 surrounding counties.
"It is the first time we are doing something quite like this where all the libraries are working collectively," said Jack Finnerty, director of the Scranton Public Library. "This year we want to work together and collect for organizations that will benefit the entire community."
Marked plastic bins will be placed near the circulation desk this week in the nine libraries scattered throughout the county.
While the brand of jeans or shade of blue doesn't matter, officials do have a preference for waist size: 12 or larger in women's jeans and 32 or larger for men's.
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on TwitterWhere to help
âMembers of the Lackawanna County Library System:
-âAbington Community Library, Clarks Summit
-âAlbright Memorial Library, Scranton
-âCarbondale Public Library, Carbondale
-âDalton Community Library, Dalton
-âLackawanna County Children's Library, Scranton
-âNancy K. Holmes Branch Library, Scranton
-âNorth Pocono Public Library, Moscow
-âTaylor Community Library, Taylor
-âValley Community Library, Blakely