Coats For Kids is once again asking the community to help local children stay warm this winter.
Through the month of November, Volunteer Center of Fort Wayne will be collecting new or gently-used coats, scarves, hats and mittens for children across Northeast Indiana as part of the organization's 23rd annual Coats For Kids Drive.
Volunteer Center held a kickoff to the coat drive on November 10 at MLK Montessori School. Fort Wayne mayor Tom Henry, Johnny TinCap and members of the Fort Wayne Fort Department were on hand to greet the children.
Parkview Sports Medicine and Parkview Ortho Hospital are pleased to help out in the effort, as coats, scarves, hats and gloves can be dropped off at Parkview Ortho Hospital, 11130 Parkview Circle Drive, Entrance 7, in Fort Wayne and the Parkview Ortho Express walk-in clinic, 3946 Ice Way, Entrance 2 in Fort Wayne. Other drop-off locations can be found here.
Also, monetary donations will also be accepted at volunteerfortwayne.org. $25 covers the cost of a new winter coat, hat, scarf and mittens for a child, according to officials at the Volunteer Center.
"26 percent of children in Allen County are living in poverty," Ani Etter, executive director of the Volunteer Center, tells ParkviewSportsMedicine.com. "These are families that are working. Many of them are working more than two jobs trying to make ends meet. We don't want kids to be cold this winter, so it's a little thing we can do to help those families."
Once the coats are collected, they are dry-cleaned, sorted and distributed by volunteers and leaders in the community to area schools and social service agencies.
"I always tell people that you don't need a cape to be a superhero. This is something that you can do to help a child to make their winter a little bit better," Etter adds.
Any families seeking coats from the Coats For Kids drive should contact their schools’ case managers or counselors to start a referral process. Social service agencies in need of coats for children may contact the Volunteer Center at 260.424.3505.