With winter coming right around the corner, Lake City and schools many other states are partaking in Coats for Kids, which is a foundation formed in 2004 that tries to ensure that kids who cannot afford or get access to coats will get coats for winter.

When Coats for Kids was formed as a public charitable foundation over a decade ago, the only two people handling the campaign were Paul and Cheryl Darby, who come out of Alexandria, VA. But, in 2011, after distributing over 34,000 coats, the foundation was too much for two people to handle and the original founders retired. Although they were retiring, they didn’t want to stop helping the children, so they reached out to Operation Warm so they could continue their legacy.

To donate to Coats for Kids, any coat you donate must be new. The foundation only takes new coats because the campaign strongly believes that a brand new coat can positively affect a child’s self-esteem, and, of course, keep them warm. The new coats result in immense happiness from the children and much less illness. So, if you do want to donate a gently used coat, you should go to The Salvation Army or Goodwill. It is also encouraged to include a pair of gloves and new winter hat, if available when donating the coat. They take coats all throughout winter- from October, to March. And, if you would like to donate one of your own coats to Coats for Kids when it starts at our school, you are to bring it to your A3 class.

From 2004 to 2011, Coats for Kids was able to give more than 34,000 coats to kids in need. Then, in 2014 to 2015, Coats for Kids foundation and Operation Warm reached more than 5,000 children within the National Capital Area, and reached over 300,000 kids across the country. And, with your help, you can make those numbers even larger this year!