Coats For Kids Drives Aims To Help Needy District 742 Families

Originally published at 5:05 p.m. on 9/12/24

Updated at 9:10 a.m. on 9/13/24

(KNSI) – It’s never too early to prepare for winter.

Stearns Bank and 99.9 Lite FM have begun their Coats For Kids drive, which will run until mid-October. Lite FM morning show host Amos says sportswear and girls’ leggings are some of the items needed most this year. Attire for all ages, from preschoolers to adults living within the St. Cloud Area School District, is being accepted.

“The issue with District 742 is that they have more than 700 students who identify as homeless. So it’s them and their families that have needs, and they come to the district to ask for these items that they need. The district often doesn’t have them. We try to fill that need as much as possible.”

New or gently used items can be dropped off at Leighton Media, 619 West St. Germain Street, or at the main branch of Stearns Bank, 4191 2nd Street South.

This year’s drive is expanding outside of clothing. Amos says cleaning out the closet is easy when you have a family. It takes maybe a year for young kids to grow out of their gloves, hats, sweaters, and scarves, often before they begin to suffer from wear and tear.

He says they want everyone to be able to pitch in on the drive by adding to what is being accepted. “If you have a family, and you go through your closets every fall, you’re probably going to find some stuff that was barely worn or not worn at all, you know what I mean? And you’re like, “Well, I grew out of it.” But if you don’t have that situation, maybe you’re single, you can grab a can of food or something, anything that you have, non-perishable, and they need that too.”

Amos says school staff and families are immensely grateful when he drops off what has been collected. Stearns Bank and 99.9 Lite FM have held the drive annually since 2022.

___