Give a Coat, Share the Warmth!

Throughout much of the United States the temperatures are cooling off and the changing weather is reflected in the foliage taking on its seasonal fall colors.  But as the dog day of summer are replaced with more a pleasant climate outside, so does the reality that winter is right around the corner – with its shorter days, fridged nights and snowy conditions in many parts of the country.  With that in mind, WE embraces the ongoing “One Warm Coat: Give a Coat, Share the Warmth” campaign being kicked-off by Burlington Coat Factory starting on October 29^th.

Burlington Coat Factory’s campaign is designed to Our provide any person in need with a warm coat free of charge because “providing this simple, yet vital, need helps people live productive lives all year round.”[1]  It is being supported by numerous retail partners, including Aeropostale, Eddie Bauer, Old Navy, Gap – as well as several corporate partners such as GLAD, Charles Schwab & Company Virtual Marketing Partners and Google.  Additionally, The Change Happens Foundation supports One Warm Coat with grant funds, allowing Burlington Coat Factory to hire staff during their busy collection months.

One Warm Coat started out in 1992 as a Thanksgiving Weekend coat drive in San Francisco.  Since then, more than 1 Million coats have been donated in thousands of local communities across North America.[2] The campaign places an added emphasis on children, stating that nearly one in five children live in poverty in the United States, and one in three homeless persons is a child under the age of 18.

One Warm Coat® operates by groups hosting coat drives at the community level; an Agency is selected to receive the coats – and the coats must be given FREE!  The list of Agencies on their website is not a complete list of organizations that support those in need -- it is just the beginning!  People are encouraged to perform a "Google search" for "homeless assistance + your town" or take a look in your telephone directory. Churches and food banks often distribute coats to those in need.

Tools and resources are provided to would-be coat drive organizers to help facilitate the process of collecting the donated coats, including a guidebook, flyers, draft press releases, tax receipts, etc.  One Warm Coat® also supplies a large banner and box label to each Organizer who submits the Share Your Plans form online.

One Warm Coat® exemplifies how individuals, corporations, philanthropic groups and nonprofits can collaborate at the local level to link providers – individuals or companies with goods, products and services they wish to offer gratis to recipients – those in need and most fragile among us.

WE invites you to learn more at http://www.onewarmcoat.org/.  

The WE Movement and its HELP4U platform support this worthwhile campaign.  We have joined, will you?  Learn more at http://www.wemovement.org/.

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[1] Burlington Coat Factory, “One Warm Coat®,” October 2010.

[2] Burlington Coat Factory, “One Warm Coat®,” October 2010.