PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Hundreds of people will be warm outside this winter thanks to a local coat giveaway running almost four decades strong.
Parents, kids, and teens shopped from carousels filled with donated coats in all styles, sizes, and colors at the 38th Annual Coat Giveaway hosted by Neighborhood House.
“The need is great. It’s been great for a long time. Depending on the weather in October, sometimes we’ll giveaway as few as 500 coats, and other years we’ll give 800 to 900 coats,” said Julie Bonar, president and CEO of Neighborhood House.
Bonar said Peoria Academy and Rotary North donated the most coats this year.
“It just shows what a giving community we have,” she said. “I hope that when people come in they see there’s some really great coats here. I hope they feel confident when they leave here and that when they put a coat on their child, their child goes to school and looks like any other kid.”
Bonar estimated they had given away at least 400 coats as of 1 p.m. Thursday.
