From staff reports
For the eighth year Keystone Coats for Kids is starting its winter coat drive. The first drive was in 2015 for the Keystone School District. The response from the community and even people from out of the area has been so overwhelming that this organization has been able to reach out to all school districts in Clarion County.
In the past seven years coats have also been given to Head Start programs, Pre-k Count programs, ACV First program, Keystone SMILES, Community Action, Inc., Clarion County Children and Youth Services, Next Step Therapy, SAFE, Knox Caring Cupboard and Clarion Psychiatric Center. All were very appreciative of the coats along with some hand knitted caps and boots. To date 3,178 coats have been distributed, 56 pair of boots, over 600 caps and 156 pair of tennis shoes.
All coats are purchased through OperationWarm.org.
Donations can be made payable to Keystone Coats for Kids and either mailed to or dropped off at Farmers National Bank, P.O. Box 665, Knox, Pa. 16232, or dropped off at Knox Auto Supply in Knox or New Bethlehem. The donation deadline is Oct. 15.
Due to the rising cost of postage, the organization will no longer be mailing thank you notes as they have done for the past seven years.
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