Dante Wiley Jr. knows how tough it can get for needy children during the holidays.

“I didn’t have much growing up,” said Wiley, a Jeannette resident and general manager/part-owner at BullyInk tattoo parlor in Salem Plaza along Route 22. “I know how it feels. I know what it’s like to not have something you need.”

With that in mind, Wiley, along with BullyInk President James Kunkle and CEO Josh Lyons, both of Harrison City, decided to extend their recent largesse to the Christmas season, hosting a coat and shoe giveaway Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’ve only been open since August, so we’ve mostly done giveaways with shirts, hoodies, and things like that,” Kunkle said. “We’re going to do a can drive next month and whatever we get, we’ll match.”

Giving back to their community is important to Wiley, Kunkle and Lyons and, rather than take a chance on soliciting coat and shoe donations — knowing how many other well-known organizations are doing that exact thing this time of year — they decided to simply play Santa and purchase items on their own.

“Being new, we didn’t want to rely on donations,” Lyons said.

There are no eligibility guidelines or qualifications, and pick-ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Anyone in need or anyone who knows someone in need, please stop in or send them our way,” Kunkle wrote in a Facebook post on BullyInk’s page.

For more, see BullyInkPA.com.

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