With calendars now flipped to November and several months of cold weather approaching, organizers involved with Coats for Kids and Families are busy collecting and organizing community donations of winter clothing in preparation for their annual Giveaway Day charity event.
Collections for the joint initiative between Powell River Lions Club, Westview Baptist Church and the Salvation Army began in October. Organizers are asking area residents to donate extra coats, jackets, sweaters and other warm winter clothing.
“We take anything that keeps people warm: boots, shoes, blankets and sheets and all outerwear,” says coordinator Marilyn Brooks, who works year-round to distribute clothing through the Salvation Army and Community Resource Centre. “Every piece helps.”
As long as it is clean and in good condition, any warm item is a welcome donation. Donations will be accepted in bins at drop off locations at Westview Baptist Church, the Salvation Army and in Town Centre Mall beside Walmart, Suzanne’s and the administration office until Thursday, November 10.
Giveaway Day takes place in the old Select Video location between Town Centre Mall and Town Centre Hotel. Families and individuals unable to purchase cold-weather clothing are invited to drop in and search through shelves and racks set up inside for items to keep them warm throughout winter months.
“Anyone in need is welcome to come in if they require a winter coat or other winter clothing,” says Brooks. “We have from infant sizes all the way up into the plus sizes for adults.”
While organizers accept clothing for all ages, Brooks says there is great need in the community for footwear and men’s items. “We go through a lot of men’s wear,” she says, “and people can’t afford to buy shoes. As the cost of living goes up, the need is becoming greater.”
In each of the past two years, organizers have handed out more than 2,000 items of clothing on Giveaway Day; 10 times the amount given away in 2006, the first year the event was held.
“The very first year it was pouring rain and we had a young mom come in; her baby had an undershirt and a diaper on, that was it,” says Brooks. “He left all bundled up because we had clothes for him.”
For all the volunteers involved, helping people is the reward for the efforts they put in to make the donations possible.
“On another occasion, I was helping a young dad who seemed to be upset,” says Brooks. “He said, ‘You have no idea how much this helps me. I have four children and I can’t afford to clothe them.’ That’s why we do this, for moments like that, because there are people in genuine need.”
Brooks says the difficulty in Powell River is that poverty is not obvious and because people are not panhandling on street corners or at the doors to the mall, most residents are not aware of how many are suffering.
“Last year we had a gentleman who found some shoes and asked a checkout person when he was leaving if there was a garbage can,” says Brooks. “He handed her his old shoes and there were no soles left in the bottom.”
In addition to warm clothing, cash donations are also accepted, and will go toward purchasing coats in sizes that are lacking after all of the donated items are combed through and organized.
Coats for Kids and Families’ Giveaway Day takes place from 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, November 12. Kiwanis Club of Powell River will also be on site providing free coffee and hot chocolate.
“When we open at 10 am, it is one coat per person in each family,” says Brooks. “Whatever donations we have here on Giveaway Day will be distributed. We don’t want to have to pack anything up at the end of the day.”
Organizers are still looking for additional volunteers to help out on Giveaway Day. For more information, call 604.485.4631.
