In an effort to make sure that every child has a warm coat this winter, students at the Riverdale School are participating in Anton’s Cleaners 15th annual Coats for Kids drive, which runs through Jan. 9.
These dedicated students have organized a coat drive to collect adult and children’s coats, which will be donated to the Coats for Kids program. With 285 schools participating in the drive throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, the efforts of the local students are crucial to the success of the program. Last year, nearly two-thirds of the more than 64,000 coats that were donated came in through the school program.
“The dedication of our Dedham students has always been one of the keys to the success of Coats for Kids,” says Charles A. Anton, president of Anton’s Cleaners. “They realize there are kids right in their own town who are less fortunate than themselves, and they work hard to make sure those kids have a warm winter coat to wear.”
All of the elementary and middle schools that have registered for the drive are eligible to compete in the School Rewards Program, which awards valuable prizes to the three elementary and three middle schools that collect the most coats based per student.
Since its inception in 1995, Coats for Kids distributed over 550,000 coats, representing $6.5 million in donated cleaning costs. Last year alone, nearly 65,000 coats were collected with a large number of those coming in through the school program.
Once collected and cleaned, coats will be distributed through the Coats for Kids Distribution Partners network, which includes organizations such as Massachusetts Community Action Programs (MASSCAP), Salvation Army, Cradles to Crayons, Middlesex Human Service Agency, BUMC: Outreach Van Project, Lowell Wish Project, Community Giving Tree, Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell, Strafford County Community Action, Catholic Charities, Dorchester House MSC, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Carolina Hill Shelter, Taunton State Hospital, South Shore Day Care Services, Codman Square Health Center, Children’s Services of Roxbury and Harbour House Family Shelter, to name just a few.
For more information, visit antons.com/cfk or call the Coats for Kids hotline at 800-659-0069. You can also follow Coats for Kids on Facebook and Twitter. Anton’s Cleaners, a family-owned business with 44 stores in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, was recently honored with the Massachusetts Family Business Award. FOX25, Jordan’s Furniture and KISS-108 & JAM’N-94.5 are providing promotional support for Coats for Kids. Supporting Partners for Coats for Kids include Graham Communications and Package Supply Corporation.
