AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In spite of the tough economy, Michiganders demonstrated tremendous generosity with record donations to the seventh annual "Good Hands, Warm Hands" Mitten Drive. The Detroit Pistons and Allstate's "Good Hands, Warm Hands" Mitten Drive garnered more than 6,500 winter items for Orchards Children's Services with donations from Allstate employees, Pistons fans and schools across Southeastern Michigan.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100125/DE42477 )

The official donation of the items took place on Friday, Jan. 22 before the Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers game at The Palace of Auburn Hills on the Pistons court as Pistons Forward, Jason Maxiell presented coats, hats and mittens to children from Orchards Children's Services. Orchards will distribute the donated winter wear to hundreds of families in the Metro Detroit area.

At halftime of the game, Allstate Vice President Thomas Clarkson and Orchards CEO Michael Williams presented a $2,500 grant check to Pathfinder School in Pinckney for collecting the most mittens out of all 14 participating schools.

"On behalf of Allstate, I want to congratulate the students at Pathfinder School and all 14 participating schools for their outstanding effort to generously support the important work of Orchards Children's Services," said Clarkson. "It is immensely gratifying to see so many Metro Detroiters - including these youngsters - helping those who will benefit greatly from these donations."

From Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, fans were encouraged to bring mittens, hats, scarves and other winter accessories to Pistons home games at The Palace. In addition, fans could purchase Pistons/Allstate branded gloves for $5 with the proceeds going to purchase additional winter wear.

The LEAGUE of Michigan, a non-profit dedicated to incorporating philanthropy in schools, encouraged schools across Southeastern Michigan to host mitten drives at their schools to donate to Orchards Children's Services. More than 85 classrooms in 14 schools collected 6,500 mittens and other winter wear for the drive. The top three schools will receive a grant from Allstate to be used for educational materials.

The 2009-2010 Pistons and Allstate "Good Hands, Warm Hands" mitten drive marked the most successful collection since its inception seven years ago.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

SOURCE Allstate