Winter is a wonderful time for children. Tobogganing, snowball fights, and catching snowflakes should be their concern in this season, but it's impossible to access all the fun winter brings without the proper equipment. A warm coat is a great place to start.
Empty that closet for a good cause
The Koats for Kids program through United Way strives to ensure that children in the community stay warm during the colder months.
“[I]t's like the classic pay it forward kind of program where you have coats that you've maybe used for a season or two, you're ready to update, your kids have grown, [and] they need new coats. You can donate [the old ones] to our Koats for Kids program,” says Audrey Armstrong, the chair of the Koats for Kids committee. “We organize the coats and make them available to people in our community who are maybe financially struggling a bit or who need some help this season."
A network of warmth
Koats for Kids is made possible through many partnerships in the community.
“We partner with the fire halls in both Morden and Winkler, with 500 Stephen Street, and Central Station — they're awesome partners,” says Anna Wieler, the treasurer of the program. “Outside each of their locations, there's a big red bin, and you can just toss your coats and scarves and mittens and ski pants and boots into [them], and we'll pass them along for you.”
Wieler has been involved in Koats for Kids for about two years now, and Armstrong has been part of the program for a decade.
Armstrong has seen the project change over the years.
“The program is structured differently in different communities and because our communities are relatively small, we've had the opportunity to do it in more of an informal, very practical, hands-on kind of way,” she says. “When I became involved, we worked out of the Morden Fire Hall shed, and so it was not necessarily a pretty atmosphere, but we were very grateful that we had it, and it met our needs very well at that time.”
Since then, Koats for Kids has moved to a new space.
“As our program grew, we had more people attending, and more donations coming in. We clearly needed to expand,” says Armstrong. “When 500 Stephen Street came about, and we were able to partner with them, it was just a perfect partnership because a lot of people in our community who needed some of those resources were already connected with the centre . . . . It was a really good fit for us.”
Gently loved items
The new space helped the Koats for Kids program expand to accept winter wear for all ages. While used items are perfectly acceptable, the condition must be good. Items can have a few marks and regular wear and tear as long as they are functional.
“One of the things I suggest to people is just to think [about if it’s] still in good enough condition that you feel comfortable putting it on your child. If you do, then absolutely we're ready for it,” says Armstrong, adding that the program doesn’t have the capacity to repair coats.
“Zippers in particular. If the zipper doesn't work, we would prefer not to have it. We just don't have anyone who can do that job,” she says. “I know there are people in the community who can, but we don't have that person in place.”
Wieler says that the program is also accepting other cold-weather items, such as boots, scarves, mittens, and ski pants for all age groups.
“You want [children] to be able to go outside and enjoy recess and that Canadian winter,” she says. “We [also] have a lot of new Canadians in our community, and they're not necessarily prepared for our harsh winter, so we also get coats for adults. It doesn't matter the size, we'll take the coat, or boots, or whatever it is — everyone's looking, and there's so many people that need a helping hand getting ready for the winter.”
Bring the whole family
Armstrong says that Koats for Kids sees a mix of people access their service. Both single adults and whole families come to find winter wear.
“We would really encourage people to come with their families. We will do our best to accommodate your kids,” she says. “They can pick out something that maybe they get really excited about.”
Distribution of coats will occur on Wednesday, November 6th at 500 Stephen Street in Morden from 3–7 p.m. and Tuesday, November 12th at Central Station in Winkler from 3–7 p.m. The red bins will be in place until November 12th.
"I will just really emphasize again that this is a program that is moving used coats that someone is donating to another person at no cost,” says Armstrong. “Just to be clear on that, we're not going to charge you — if you feel that you need some help this season, you are welcome to come.”
Both Armstrong and Wieler say they are grateful to community organizations for partnering with Koats for Kids. They are, of course, also grateful for those who continue to donate winter wear year after year.
~With files from Jayme Giesbrecht~