Needy Children Receive New Winter Coats in Hartford
Knights of Columbus from Hartford, West Hartford, and Rocky Hill distributed 400 new winter coats as part of the Knights’ “Coats for Kids” program. Knights distributed the coats to underprivileged children without charge at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.
Archbishop Henry Mansell of Hartford attended the distribution and blessed the coats before they were handed out.
The distribution was led by Knights of Columbus District Deputy Chris Randall of Council 11405. Joining in the effort were Knights from St. Bridget Council 14216 of West Hartford, Council 3600 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, and Council 10651 of Rocky Hill. The coats were provided to underprivileged children from the Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, St. Augustine Parish, Sacred Heart Parish, and the St. Gerard Center for Life, all in Hartford, as well as the Chabad House of West Hartford.
“We worked hard to get it to the people who needed the coats the most,” noted Chris Randall. “There were smiling faces all around.”
This event marks the third year that the “Coats for Kids” initiative of the Knights of Columbus has been giving new winter coats to children in need in Connecticut. Similar distributions are planned in cities and towns across the U.S and Canada this year, including additional distributions in Connecticut, in Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, and New London.
Altogether, Knights of Columbus will distribute more than 12,000 coats this winter.
The “Coats for Kids” program is part of the Knights’ Help a Child in Need campaign, which began in 2006 with a nationwide appeal during the Christmas season for donations to charities that support the needs of children. The initiative began 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.
This year, the Knights of Columbus’ Help a Child in Need effort includes providing prosthetics for children in Haiti who lost their limbs in the January, 2010 earthquake.
When ordering coats, complete the Coats for Kids order form and do one of the following:
- E-mail to robert.ennis@kofc.org
- Fax to 203-752-4108
- Mail to
Knights of Columbus
Attn: R. Ennis, 12th Floor
1 Columbus Plaza
New Haven, CT 06510
Note that all orders must be signed by the grand knight (for a local council), district deputy (for a district), or state deputy (for a state council), and that there is no need to enclose payment with the order. Once the coats have shipped, and shipping charges have been determined, the Supreme Council will ask for payment from the local council, district or state council. Please pay by check (payable to Knights of Columbus), and allow 2-3 weeks from receipt of the order for delivery.