THUNDER BAY — Anyone in need of children’s winter gear can pick up free coats, hats, mitts and boots this week at Victoriaville Centre.
Coats for Kids collected well over 1,500 coats this year, according to Marianne Jollineau, volunteer and retired teacher with the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board,
The coats and other winter gear are available for pick up between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. now until Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Jollineau said the more people that donate the more choice people have.
“It's a long winter and kids grow in and out of stuff, anybody's welcome.
“Anybody who needs a coat can come, there's no boundaries or barriers here and it's pretty discreet,” she said.
“They're just so costly and it's almost prohibitive for people to stay warm. So that was the goal, how can we keep these kids warm," she said.
Coats for Kids was established 18 years ago, with a vision to keep kids warm during the winter.
Jollineau said teacher Solange Coté had the idea to get the schools donating in the fall.
“She drew up a plan and all of a sudden all the schools every fall have a box and they're invited to donate hats, mitts, boots.
“Ever since then, we've been doing it. There's a group of teachers through, we call the human rights committee who spend their time, they have various meetings, you have to get approvals and the Catholic school board helps us to provide what we need to make it happen.
Starting in the fall, students at Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board schools, along with family members were able to donate old coats, hats, mitts and boots for the drive.
Jollineau said to make it successful, the venue, how to hang everything and how it all gets washed need to be considered.
“It all gets brought to the laundromat and we thank all the laundromats for putting up with us as we take up all their machines for a day. And then we have the school bus. The school bus lines locally help us. We have to get (the winter gear) all on the buses.
“We have to go collect them all first from each of the schools. Then they drop us off at the laundromat. And then we start washing the coats and we bring them here.”
Other organizations around town do coat drives as well, and Jollineau said the more the merrier.
“The goal is just to provide people with what they need and we have, there's plenty to go around. We're grateful to have the opportunity to do it,” she said.
When children in school need something, everybody involved does their best to provide it, Jollineau said.
“It’s an opportunity to donate and that always feels good. It's simple, it's not complicated. You're just helping somebody else and here's a venue to do it."
The organization is still accepting donations of coats, hats, mitts and boots. Visit them between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. until Friday in Victoriaville Centre, beside the former bargain shop.
