New York Cares distributed 500 coats Tuesday as part of their annual drive.

The organization started collecting two weeks earlier than planned in order to meet the needs of Sandy victims.

They partnered with 20 National Basketball Association employees, who volunteered for the day.

"We're just trying to be out in the neighborhoods that were most affected by Hurricane Sandy to serve as many needs as we possibly can while still also serving other people who have had needs before the storm," said Susan Craine of New York Cares.

"It's fun to see people get big bags of coats because you know they're taking it back to a very large community that needs them," said Dan Reed of the NBA's Development League.

New York Cares hopes to collect and distribute 200,000 coats this winter.