Time to bundle up

Salvation Army starts Coats for Kids and Folks campaign

Posted By Nicki Cruickshank

Posted 23 days ago

Bundling up this winter won't be easy for people who can't even afford a coat.

That's why the Salvation Army in Barrie is collecting gently used winter apparel for Barrie's less fortunate this month.

The Bayside Mission Centre held the first day of its annual Coats for Kids and Folks campaign on Monday afternoon, handing out more than 80 coats to adults and children in need.

"There was quite a crowd here (Monday). There were a lot of moms with young children who came in," said Maj. Roy Randell, of the Bayside Mission Centre. "We give them what we have, and hopefully we have ones that will fit them all."

"There were a lot of new faces this time that I saw, and the need will be bigger this year," said Tracy Calliste, director of community and family services.

For the seventh straight year, the Salvation Army has been helping to keep Barrie's less fortunate from freezing without proper winter garments. More than 400 coats have already been donated, but that supply won't last.

"We've just started the campaign so we're going to need a lot more coats," Calliste said. "Coats for teenagers are never an issue, but there's a gap for infant coats and for those under five years of age.

"It's also the plus-sized coats for men and women that are hard to get," she added.

The centre offers coat clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays each week from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m

"People can just come in and find a coat that'll fit them or their families," Randell said. "It's a first-come, first-served basis."

More than 1,000 coats were donated to the Barrie campaign, Randell said, but it's not just jackets that are needed.

"We will take snow suits, winter boots, toques, mitts and scarves, too," he said.

Coat and/or winter clothing donations can be dropped off at the centre, or at four other locations: West 49 (Georgian Mall), Century 21, Sleep Country (north and south locations), Mark's Work Warehouse (north and south locations).

And although the need is great, Randell said he doesn't want ragged clothing donated to the cause.

"We want clothing we'll be able to give someone, and items that are in good shape," he said. "If you wouldn't wear it, don't give it to someone else. If the coats are kept in the basement and might have a smell to them, it would be nice if you washed them."

And if you can't find a coat before Nov. 30, you won't be left in the cold.

"After the end of November, people can come to family services at the centre and get a clothing voucher for our thrift stores," Randell said.

ncruickshank@thebarrieexaminer.com