Coats for kids kicks-off

By Taylor Busch

Staff Reporter

 

The Coats for Kids Campaign kicked off its 29^th year by giving away winter clothing items to more than 120 families at Windsor’s Unemployed Help Centre on Nov. 8.

Windsor residents faced near freezing temperatures for the privilege of picking out their own set of winter gear.  In the weeks leading up to the big day volunteers cleaned, sorted and shipped thousands of coats to the different distribution centers throughout the city.

Russ Anderson, chair of Coats for Kids, said the demand for coats has nearly doubled since he helped start the program nearly three decades ago.  Russ estimates more than 6,000 coats will be given away through the charity this year.

“We felt that this program is definitely needed in this area and we’re glad that the program is still alive,” said Anderson.  “For the first four or five years it was only in Windsor at one site, but now it’s county wide and still growing.”

Volunteers said the crowd, which could not all fit inside the building, is a sign of how much Windsor still needs programs like Coats for Kids.  The day’s co-ordinator Debbie Desjardins said more residents came out than they expected.

“When you see things like this, when you see people lined up out the door you know that our city is still struggling,” said Desjardins.  “The fact that the weather is not favourable to having people outside has made things a bit more challenging, but overall it’s been great.”

According to Anderson, the biggest change to the program happened 10 years ago when the Red Cross handed it over to the Unemployed Help Centre.  The chief executive officer for the centre, Jane Muir, said they are happy to be part of the campaign.

“I love the program.  We love helping people and we’re glad we can help them,” said Muir.  “It doesn’t cost a lot of money to run the program, it’s just about us giving our time.”

Though the campaign has officially finished for this year, Anderson said they are still hoping to receive and give away more coats through the winter months.  Residents can find out where to drop off or pick up coats by calling the Unemployed Help Centre at (519) 944-4900.  For more information on Coats for Kids visit http://www.uhc.ca/.