Needy Children Receive New Winter Coats in Worcester
Children in need from the greater Worcester, Mass., area received new warm winter coats during a “Coats for Kids” distribution on Jan.2 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, thanks to Knights from ten area councils. The Worcester Knights obtained 300 coats, some of which were given out at the event and others (with K of C emblems on their packaging) were taken to other parishes and service organizations, for distribution.
Massachusetts State Secretary Peter Healy, who helped organize much of the distribution, said “Worcester is one of the larger cities in Massachusetts. Like everything with the recession, everything’s been hit. People don’t always have a big nest egg to fall back on and wait for the jobs to come back, so a lot of these people are hurting.
“If you think about it, where’s that new coat going to work? If you give them a free coat, they won’t have to spend $80 for a new coat,” he continued. “They have this one, which we give them for free. Now they can give that to the household budget for food or shoes and clothing. That’s one need that’s met.”
This is 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.
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.
If your Knights of Columbus council is interested in participating in the “Coats for Kids” initiative, please complete the order form and send to 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
Please 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.