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Annual Coat Drive
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: December 2024
The Winter Coat Drive is literally a lifesaver during the season’s frigid days and dark nights.
Eli and Debi Bock
Duncan Greenlee, volunteer of Winter Coat Drive team, shared an inspiring win-win idea recently, “This month, clean out your closet. Start 2025 better-organized by giving your seldom-worn outerwear to someone needy. When offering a coat, you’ll be warming a grown-up or a kid while warming your own heart.
“And you’ve done a charitable deed without spending a dime.”
Debi Bock joins Duncan as a dedicated co-chair of the coat drive.
She adds, “Chances are you’ve seen coat-collection boxes in your church, a frequented store, bank, or club. Those boxes (13 so far) are filling with coats, gloves, hats, and other essential outerwear.”
The Coat Drive team is determined that every kid in the Highlands area has a coat to wear this winter. Warmth is essential for kids’ health, for their social acceptance, for removing stress, and for just being able to go out and play. These decrees should be engraved in The Book of Kid’s Rights.
There are several organizations that help support coats-for-kids this year.
Cath Connolly Hudson, president of Mountaintop Rotary Club, acquired a grant to match the club’s $2,500. That doubled coat capital. The grant, along with contributions by the community, will hopefully provide coats for all, but bear in mind this coat mission goes through March, so there is a lot of fund-raising for winter wear, toys, and more to acquire between now and then.
It hasn’t been easy. The storms and floods interrupted progress. Workers had to stop focusing on coats to get food and shelter to Western Carolinians in the Asheville area. Now supporters are back on the coat endeavor for Christmas.
What can you do to help?
1. Keep cleaning those closets, filling the boxes.
2. Visit thrift stores when you are traveling, Georgia, particularly. Buy coats, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, hoodies, and even toys for kids, any gender, any size kid.
3. Donate $ and goods to Highlands Emergency Council.
Another local complication is the closure of Highway 106. It makes it harder for workers to get to where they need to go. If these essential workers lose their paychecks, their families suffer terribly. Help where you can.
For more information about giving and helping, visit the Highlands Emergency Council: highlandsemergencycouncil.com; and mtrgives.org.
Tell your neighbors: Give a coat to a kid! It might be the most precious gift anyone gives this holiday.
