By Rick Hoff
In the summer of 2009, the men of the Lake Como and Shehawken United Methodist Churches (Lake Como Charge) in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre district were looking for a project we could work on together. A men’s breakfast was organized where we discussed potential projects. A number of suggestions were made and we agreed to think about each idea for two weeks, then, we had another breakfast to see if we could agree on one project.
The most popular project idea was a clothing drive with a giveaway weekend to distribute free, warm, winter clothing to those in need from our community. The project was inspired by the many summer camps within a 10-mile radius of our churches and their unclaimed lost and found collections, which were willingly donated to our cause.
That first year we set about calling the camps, arranging pickups, laundering clothes, building hanging racks, and advertising locally for clothing donations and the first giveaway weekend. We named it “Coats for Kids” but it was actually clothing for everybody. Our first give-away was scheduled for mid-October 2009 at Shehawken UMC.
We emptied out the fellowship hall, set up hanging racks and tables filled with clothing, and opened the doors at 9 a.m. on Saturday. By the end of the weekend we had given away most of our inventory. It was an overwhelming success.
We could not have pulled it off without the volunteer efforts of the men and women of both congregations, and it was no surprise that we decided to repeat it again in 2010.
The second year, and every year since, we have had Coats for Kids at the Northern Wayne Fire Hall in Lakewood, Pa., and the members and leaders of the fire company have graciously allowed us to host this community event at their fire hall for free.
Over the years there have been growing pains. We learned a lot about organizing the collections, pre-sorting, laundering, and displaying the donated clothing. We’ve gained a great appreciation for helping those who have been less fortunate than us. All in all, it has been a rewarding ten years since it all began.
Over the years the flow of clothing donations has become continuous throughout the year, all from the simple ads we place in the local papers. We also get enough financial donations each year to purchase hundreds of coats, so we take advantage of end-of-season sales, then store them for the next giveaway. The camps still provide a lot of perfectly good clothing which we begin calling for in early August as the camps prepare to close for the season.
Three years ago we organized a fund drive and raised enough money to purchase a 40-foot, high-bay storage container, which we have placed at Stor Mor storage, directly across the road from the fire hall, where we have our giveaway. For years, the owner of Stor Mor graciously donated storage space for us to store our collected clothing, which is sorted into similar clothing types to make setting up for the giveaway easier. The storage container is a better place to store, sort and access the many bins of clothing we collect.
Coats For Kids has provided a wonderful time of fellowship for our members during one of four annual pre-sorts, donation collections and preparations, setting up the giveaway, enjoying a break for lunch during setup day, and working the giveaway.
To sum it all up, we started with a simple concept to help the local community here in Northern Wayne County. In ten years it has grown into a well-organized event with a relatively consistent flow of clothing and financial donations, coupled the generosity of local camps, newspapers, and the fire company who gives CFK a home every year.
So what is the problem?
After ten years of running CFK, I feel it is time for me to step aside and let someone else lead. Both Como and Shehawken have aging congregations and, while we have many willing volunteers, finding someone to lead and coordinate CFK has been a challenge.
Coats For Kids is a well-established, organized, and funded operation. We will give the keys to the container and all the resources and methods we have successfully used to get it this far. Taking on this mission will bring our churches closer as our members continue to work to see it succeed.
If any individual or congregation has an interest in Coats for Kids and would like to speak to Rick, see the storage container, and/or sit with a few members who have worked on this project since it began, please call Rick Hoff at 570-798-2618.
