MINNETONKA, Minn. - Justin Morneau's annual coat drive collected about 6,000 coats this year -- and a single 11-year-old boy was responsible for more than a quarter of them.
Ben Derbis from St. Michael collected 1,660 coats for the Justin Morneau Winter Warm-Up Coat Drive this year. Last year, he gathered more than 1,500. And two years ago, he delivered 750.
Derbis set up 16 drop-off sites around St. Michael and Albertville, beginning as early as October. And on Saturday, he got a pretty big reward for his hard work -- he got to meet Justin Morneau at Fan HQ at Ridgedale Mall.
Morneau's coat drive has collected 20,000 coats since it began in 2010. They go to the Salvation Army, which distributes them to those in need.