November 1, 2017

One Warm Coat Day Launches on November 1

READ TIME: 3 MIN.

On November 1, One Warm Coat, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing a free, warm coat to any person in need, is kicking-off a movement to help launch the official One Warm Coat Day. This new observance day will bring much-needed awareness to the importance of donating coats to those in need.

Staggering Statistics:
Source: The National Coalition for the Homeless

  • Each year, approximately 700 homeless people die from hypothermia
  • 1 in 5 children in America are affected by poverty
  • For the nearly 15% of Americans living in poverty, a warm winter coat is a budget "extra."

    One Warm Coat is encouraging people to support One Warm Coat Day by signing up to host a drive or donating coats to local drives. In celebration of their 25th anniversary of giving, One Warm Coat hopes to collect 1 million coats this winter season. To donate a coat on One Warm Coat Day, visit your local Brooks Brothers, Cabela's or J. Crew store, or any of our other active coat drives. To find a participating location near you, search the One Warm Coat drive locator.

    How It Works: One Warm Coat provides the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive in 6 easy steps! The organization's website helps organizers (individuals, schools, community groups, church groups, and businesses) plan, promote and implement a coat drive. Once a drive is registered, One Warm Coat will send Ambassadors all of the materials they need to host a coat drive, including a banner, box labels, stickers and more. Once coats are collected, they will be distributed within their community to any person in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation through the organization's network of non-profit partners.

    Coat drives are easy to host and an ideal activity for:
  • Parents, teachers, and students looking to make a positive impact on their community through a service project
  • People seeking to add a philanthropic component to an upcoming family gathering or party
  • Community members finding ways to give back during the winter months
  • Professionals who would like to engage their colleagues in a good cause
  • People who may be moving or looking for ways to recycle
  • Corporations and Brands who want to make a difference in the communities where their employees and customers work and live

    "We're incredibly proud of our accomplishments -- what started with one coat drive in San Francisco 25 years ago has spread warmth across the country with more than 27,000 coat drives," said Jennifer Stockard, president and CEO, One Warm Coat. "However, there is still a great need and with One Warm Coat Day, we want to encourage individuals and businesses alike to help people who lack enough warm clothing to stay protected this winter."

    What One Warm Coat Does Annually:

  • Creates opportunities for nearly 600,000 individuals to receive a warm coat
  • Touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of people
  • Supports more than 3,500 coat drive organizers by providing free instructions, materials, tools and resources
  • Hosts and maintains a searchable database of coat drive events across North America
  • Assists 1,000+ community agencies in receiving the coats they need
  • Works with more than 1,000 companies and brands to engage employees and customers to give the gift of warmth

    The organization began in 1992 with its first coat drive on a Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco. Since its inception, One Warm Coat has grown as a national organization collecting more than 5 million coats and supporting 3,500 coat drives each year. In dedicating the last 25 years to providing a warm coat to anyone in need, free of charge, One Warm Coat's efforts have been recognized with many awards, accolades, and rankings including Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits and Gold Star Nonprofit by Guidestar. The organization has collaborated with top companies such as Coca-Cola, Delta, and Brooks Brothers among others to give warmth to those in need.

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