Knights of Columbus Distribute 600 New Winter Coats to Children in Windsor

On Monday, December 7, the Ontario State Council of the Knights of Columbus, in conjunction with local council no. 8919 (Windsor) distributed 600 coats to children in Windsor.

Distribution took place at the Unemployed Help Centre which, along with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board assisted in the distribution.  Coats were given to students from several local Catholic schools including: Assumption Secondary, St. Bernard, WJ Langlois, St. Francis, St. Anne, OLPH, Holy Name Elementary, Cardinal Carter, St. John, Catholic Central, Our Lady of Lourdes, Queen of Peace, Christ the King, Immaculate Conception, and St. Jules.

This event was part of the second annual “Coats for Kids” initiative of the Knights of Columbus.  It was the program’s first distribution in Canada this year. Similar distributions have taken place in 8 U.S cities, and approximately 12 more distributions are in the works in the weeks to come.  In total, the Knights of Columbus will distribute approximately 10,000 Ultimate Apparel coats this winter.

Coats for Kids, Windsor 2009 Coats for Kids, Windsor 2009

The initiative began in 2008 as an effort to help families with children living in colder climates who have been severely impacted by the sharp and sudden downturn in the economy.

“As our nation faces tough economic times, we believe it is very important to respond within our communities in concrete ways to help those most in need,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Helping children in need was a fundamental reason for the formation of the Knights of Columbus in 1882 and continues to be a very important component of our work today.”

“We’ve been hit particularly hard by the slump in manufacturing jobs and other workforce reductions over the past few years,” said Dan Dumouchelle, Grand Knight of council No. 8919. “Many people in the area are ‘under-employed’ and struggling to make ends meet, and this program is intended to help those families. It also provides a concrete way for Knights to live out the first principle of the Order – Charity.”

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Robert Ennis, director of Fraternal Operations and Programs at (203) 752-4616 or Peter Sonski, director of Public Relations at (203) 752-4182.