Anyone looking to make room in the coat closet can support a good cause while also getting a head start on the autumn season in Bradford.
Rose Real Estate team is once again getting warmed up for the third annual Coats for Kids campaign in the parking lot in front of CONTACT Community Services at 95 Holland St. W., this Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While last year’s campaign hit their goal of 300 donations, organizer Rose Sorbera is hopping to surpass that this year, and the campaign is also expanding to accept winter gear for adults.
“There is absolutely a growing need for coats more than last year and the year before,” she said.
Anyone is welcome to come exchange their gently used winter gear — including hats, mitts and especially coats — for free pumpkins from and day passes to Brooks Farms in Mount Albert, while supplies last.
All of the items collected will be used to support CONTACT’s The Clothes Line thrift store, which sells donated clothing, small household goods, electronics, toys, and books, with profits going back to the community through CONTACT’s services in housing, employment, and community support.
“Let’s spread the warmth and ensure everyone stays cozy during the colder months,” Sorbera said.
Donors to the coat drive can also enter into a draw for the chance to win a family season pass to Brooks Farms, which includes unlimited visits to their barnyard playland as well as access to all of their signature events including the Fall Fun Festival and Festive Nights.
From noon until 2 p.m. Minerva’s Creations will also be providing glitter tattoos and balloons for those looking to get a little extra festive.
“It’s a fun event. Where else can you go with glitter tattoos and balloons and pumpkins?” Sorbera said. “You get a lot of smiling faces that day.”
As the event has grown each year, so too has the support from the community and the Bradford realtor said plenty of kids volunteer to help out, with some as young as five helping to receive donations.
The event is usually planned for the last Saturday in September, which Sorbera describes as the “ideal time” as parents are shopping for new winter gear for their children and then left with spare coats they can donate.
In anticipation of the event, some may be having a hard time waiting, as the Bradford realtor said she’s already had people approach her to ask when it will run this year, and some excited kids have even started to recognize her as “the pumpkin lady.”
While Coats 4 Kids has been operating in town for about 25 years, Sorbera has been the lead organizer of the renewed event since 2022, and also helped launch the The Clothes Line which officially opened on Dec. 1, 2021.
As an added bonus, Sorbera says the event helps raise awareness of the thrift store and boost the number of people who visit it.
More information about The Clothes Line is available on CONTACT’s website.
