Moncton Headstart is still in need of donations for its annual Coats for Kids Campaign.
Executive Director Mary O’Donnell says they are looking for coats that fit newborns to 18 years old.
“Gently used coats are perfectly fine with us. It is really just about making sure we have sufficient inventory on hand that will allow us to hopefully provide for as many as we possibly can,” O’Donnell says.
Coats will be handed out on November 2nd, and O’Donnell says they like to have all of the donations a couple of days prior to that.
“The donations we receive are basically what we work with. We don’t really know exactly which ages or sizes we have to support, so we take whatever coats we can get,” O’Donnell says.
Last year, they provided coats to over 500 kids from newborn to late teens.
They have been receiving donations over the past couple of weeks, and they have been coming in steadily, “Steady is important, because we can get coats in and we sort through them and it gives us an opportunity to assess how many coats we have and if we have enough coats to provide for the numbers we anticipate,” O’Donnell says.
Donations can be dropped off at Greater Moncton JeanCoutu locations, NBCC Moncton Campus, Boutique Second Edition or the Moncton Headstart office on Mountain Road.
“Sometimes a mother with a family of four will reach out to us. They are always very grateful if we have coats to provide in the right size for even three of their children. Instead of having to buy for all four, they just have to provide for one,”O’Donnell adds.
Any coats that are not handed out, are given to other groups, schools and organizations that are able to provide to other children in need for the winter.
