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Oh My Goodness: N.J. Hospital Employees Donate Clothes To Trauma Victims Ready To Head Home

HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey hospital is hoping to be in the forefront of clothing donation not just this holiday season, but year round by converting a medical supply closet into a cubby to help needy patients.

CBSN New York's John Dias explains in the latest edition of Oh My Goodness.

Every day, doctors, nurses and other staff help out their patients in ways unimaginable. Now, many of them are taking their clothes off their own backs to continue to give such great care.

Compassion Cubby
(credit: CBS New York)

The team at Hackensack University Medical Center debuted its "Compassion Cubby" on Thursday inside the emergency room. It's one of the few hospitals to start a program where the employees donate new or used clothes, shoes, coats and other items, which are then laundered to hospital standards and stored in the cubby until patients wear them when they leave.

If you are the victim of trauma or an accident and your clothes get cut off in the hospital, the majority of hospitals don't have clothes for you to leave in. If you don't have family to come bring something, you leave in a hospital gown.

On its first day open, already a woman requested a sweatshirt and jeans.

"They're coming here in whatever situation they are, but we know we are going to send them home. Our community goes home with clean clothes," Compassion Cubby creator Jane Pascale said.

Right now, the hospital is keeping this all internal. Reps said they have more than 8,000 team members looking to donate.

Our series Oh My Goodness highlights people doing good deeds in their community, either big or small. Do you know someone doing good or making a difference in your community? We want to know all about them! Email OhMyGoodness@CBS.com or send us a message on Facebook. You can also use #OMGCBS on Twitter or Instagram.

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