The Innisfail Community Preschool is hosting a winter coat drive this Saturday to help local children and families in need.
The first annual “Coats for Kids” drive will be held at the Innisfail Baptist Church, located at 5204 Woodland Dr., from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Program director Miranda Hale said the school will be accepting new or gently used items, including winter coats for children between the ages of four and 10, winter gloves and tuques, jeans for boys between the ages of six and eight, warm blankets, snow pants and winter boots.
Hale said she got the idea after watching a story about the need for winter coat drives on the nightly Calgary news. She phoned the town, local churches and Christmas Bureau to inquire if there was a drive running in town. Shocked to learn there wasn’t, Hale began planning her own.
“I thought having the resources that I do – owning a preschool in town and being able to use the church – we could do a coat drive,” Hale said. “There’s gotta be a need for it in town.”
Following the drive, the items would be dispersed to local schools as well as families in need.
“People want to pick them up anonymously so they need to be in places where people can reach them,” said Hale.
If you’re unable to make the coat drive but would still like to donate, contact Hale at (403) 396-5166 or through the preschool’s website at www.innisfailcommunitypreschool.com.
“I’ll come and pick up the donations,” she said.
Hale encouraged residents to do their part to help keep children and families warm this winter.
“You can’t stress enough how important it is for children to go to school being comfortable and in warm clothes,” she said. “There’s definitely a need for it in town. People may not speak up about it, but if there’s a place they could go to get donations and a place where people can go to drop off donations, it would be great for the community.”
