‘Woman of Distinction’ Mary Anne Fusco Celebrates 25 Years of Spreading the Warmth

It all started nearly 25 years ago on a freezing January day in New York City. “A young man of about 17 years old delivered lunch to me and my staff on bicycle, wearing only short sleeves,” recalled Mary Anne Fusco , a veteran agent for Douglas Elliman with offices in Manhattan, the Hamptons and the North Fork. “Here we were, getting warm soup and sandwiches delivered to us, and this boy was freezing. I snapped. I turned to my staff and said, ‘That’s it, we are doing a coat drive!’” And so, they did. Since collecting 86 coats that first year, Fusco’s annual drive has gathered thousands of new and gently used jackets, hats, scarves and other cold-weather accessories and distributed them to St. Francis Food Pantry and Shelters, serving NYC’s five boroughs, as well as Heart of the Hamptons, in Southampton. In addition to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the drive, which has collected upwards of 1,000 items per year, Fusco was recently honored in Suffolk County by New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio as a “Woman of Distinction” for her charitable efforts. Fusco with Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio. “You can’t get on my team unless you get by giving,” Fusco said. “People don’t care what you know unless they know you care.” In order to spread the word about the drive, which runs from the beginning of the New Year through the end of March, she sends over 3,500 cards to the buildings she represents, as well as to clients and friends. She has over ten collection drops between Manhattan and the East End of Long Island. Fusco’s charitable work also has received recognition from St. Francis, and she was recently invited to sit on the board of Maureen’s Haven , a homeless shelter in Riverhead that services Long Island. “From a little drop of water, you can become quite a stream,” she said. “It can start with 86 coats, and before you know it, you’re helping to keep a lot of people warm.”