READING, Pa. – Imagine a kid walking up to you saying, “I need a coat to keep warm.”
“That happens, unfortunately, more than you probably think that it does,” said Kelli Bardi, a social worker at Glenside Elementary School in Reading.
Not just the kids – but mom and dad, too.
“I will have parents that reach out to me and say, ‘Do you have any coats for me’,” Bardi said. ” Do you have any coats for my children?'”
69 WFMZ, the Reading Royals and the Reading School District’s Knights’ Closet are partnering once again for the Winter Coat Drive, collecting new and gently used coats for those in need.
Bardi says the need is especially great at the elementary-school level.
“It got cold really quick this year, and we definitely need additional coats. We have more families and children that need coats this year, more than in years past,” she said.
The coat rack you’re seeing here is all the coats that are currently left inside the Knights’ Closet at Glenside Elementary.
“We do have young people who are experiencing poverty, so one, the help and support from our partners, the Reading Royals, a great partner of ours over the years, is excellent,” said Reading School District Superintendent Khalid Mumin. “Two, it really provides hope and access and resources for our young people here.”
A coat to keep someone warm over the winter. Can you help?
“Their eyes light up,” Bardi said. “They are super excited. Normally, when we give students coats, we also do hats and gloves as well, and they just love the fact that they don’t have to walk in the cold weather to and from school.”
Sunday from 1 until 3 p.m., come on down to the Santander Arena on Penn Street and bring those new or gently-used coats.
Donation bins will be set up outside of Santander Arena’s front entrance on Penn Street. 69 WFMZ-TV staff members will be available to assist donors with their donations.
Donations will be accepted right up until the start of the Reading Royals game against the Norfolk Admirals at 3:00 p.m.
The Royals will provide a $5 discounted ticket to the game to individuals who donate a coat.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.wfmz.com ’
