Winter Is Coming: Caring Partners’ Coats For Kids Drive Launches October 12, 2015

Farmer’s Almanac predicts “above normal snow and below-normal temperatures for winter 2015-2016; New England’s largest coat collection enters second decade of helping Bay State babies, children and adults in need with warm winter coats.

TEWKSBURY, Mass. (September 17, 2015) – On October 12, 2015, Caring Partners kicks off the 21st annual Coats for Kids winter coat drive sponsored by Anton’s Cleaners and Jordan’s Furniture. Coats for Kids will run through January 8, 2016 with one simple goal – to help individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to keep themselves and their families warm. Since the program began in 1995, more than 900,000 coats have been collected (nearly 52,000 last year alone), with Anton’s donating over $12M in cleaning services.

With the Farmer’s Almanac predicting “above-normal snow and below-normal temperatures” for this winter season, warm winter coats are a necessity for all, and all donated coats are cleaned free of charge by Anton’s Cleaners.

Coats for Kids accepts warm winter coats that are gently used, good quality, and all sizes (especially XL and pre-K sizes). The drive does not accept coats with rips, tears, broken zippers, or permanent stains, nor can we accept sweatshirts, vests and spring coats. Coats are accepted at all 42 Anton’s Cleaners and five Jordan’s Furniture locations October 12, 2015 through January 8, 2016. Collected coats are cleaned free of charge by Anton’s Cleaners and distributed through distribution partners made up of major local nonprofits and social service agencies.

Coats for Kids is New England’s largest coat drive, with more than 212 school groups making up one half of all collections in 2015. Local public, parochial and independent schools experience the rewards of community service and get incentivized through the School Rewards Program™. This program awards great prizes to the top three elementary and middle schools who collect the most coats per capita – leveling the playing field so everyone has a chance to win. See website for registration form and details: https://antons.com/cfk/get-involved/register-your-school/.

According to Arthur C. Anton Jr., COO of Anton’s Cleaners, “Our mission is simple: ‘Anyone in need of a coat will have one.’ Coats for Kids is a program close to the hearts of all our employees in all 42 Anton’s stores. We are proud to enter our 21st year of partnership with local schools, businesses and organizations, all working together to help make winter a little warmer for children, teens and adults in Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.”

In addition to all 42 Anton’s Cleaners locations, warm winter coats are also accepted at all Jordan’s Furniture locations during normal store hours. “Jordan’s Furniture is proud to celebrate our tenth year supporting Coats for Kids,” said Eliot Tatelman, President/CEO of Jordan’s Furniture. “It is important to us to be a part of this necessary local program because there are so many families right in our own neighborhoods who go without. To be able to help them during the tough winter months is just the right thing to do, and to see our wonderful customers come into our stores with their arms full of warm clothes to donate is truly inspirational. It shows the true spirit of community. We are honored to be a prominent sponsor of Coats For Kids and a part of the drive’s School Rewards Program, demonstrating to students how important it is to help those in need around you.”

Companies can also participate. In addition to monetary donations, Coats for Kids also relies on over 300 Massachusetts businesses to become collection partners and round up warm winter coats which will be cleaned and distributed back to neighbors in the company’s area – a worthy corporate holiday charitable effort. Participating companies receive posters and other marketing material to promote the drive to employees, customers and clients. Companies already participating this year include Oracle, Hammond Residential Real Estate, Stop & Shop, and Nestle Waters North America.

Once collected and cleaned, coats are distributed through the Coats for Kids Distribution Partners Network, which includes such organizations as Massachusetts Community Action Programs (MASSCAP), Salvation Army, Middlesex Human Service Agency, BU Medical Center Outreach Van Project, Wish Project, Community Giving Tree, Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell, Strafford County Community Action, Catholic Charities, and many more.

“Through Coats for Kids, we were able to give families warm coats so that they could devote their resources to other needs, such as heating their homes and buying food. I believe that in so many ways, Anton’s Cleaners is an unsung hero to so many people,” said Joseph Diamond, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association for Community Action.

Major partners for the 2015-2016 Coats for Kids collection include Anton’s Cleaners, Jordan’s Furniture, WickedLocal, Kiss 108FM, Fox 25 Boston, Jam’n 94.5, and 101.7 The Bull.

To register your school online to participate, visit https://antons.com/cfk/school/

To sign up and become a Corporate Partner, visit https://antons.com/cfk/become-a-partner/

 

Attention Schools! Coats for Kids Video Contest!

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We want to hear about your coat collection!

Submit a video to show why your school participates in the Coats for Kids program and how you organize a coat collection each year in your school.

You could win up to $250 towards classroom supplies for your school! Just submit your video entry no later then December 18, 2015 with the form below.

All students are welcome to enter, including children in private, and charter schools. Only one entry per school will be accepted.

To participate, each entry must:

  • Currently be a school collection partner for the 21st annual Coats for Kids program

  • Focus on at least one of following:

    • Why your school participates in Coats for Kids
    • What students have learned by participating in Coats for Kids
    • How your school collects coats for Coats for Kids
  • 2 minutes (120 seconds) or less in length.

  • Begin with a 10 second full-screen “title screen” that includes the following information:

    • School Name
    • School City, State
    • Title of Video
    • Grades of School [i.e.: Elementary School (K-5), Middle School (6-8, K-8), High School (9-12)]
  • Submit Entry with the large file sharing link below on or before December 18, 2015. Send video to info@caringpartnersinc.org

For a full list of contest guidelines, please refer to our video contest terms and conditions by clicking here. 

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Looking for a little inspiration or direction? Here are few videos from previous years!:

*please note additional requirements have been added to the video contest guidelines since the creation of these videos. Please refer to the terms and conditions for complete guidelines
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Coats for Kids provides Salvation Army coats for 5,000 families


VIDEO by John Wilcox, Boston Herald.

The Salvation Army hosted its 14th annual Christmas Castle event. One of the largest holiday distribution initiatives in Massachusetts. The event provides clothing, toys, and food vouchers to over 14,000 residents in need.

“These are people who are just trying to provide for their kids,” said Drew Forster, spokesman for the Salvation Army of Massachusetts. “Everybody wants to provide Christmas for their kids.”

According to Arthur C. Anton, Jr. of Anton’s Cleaners, “Coats for Kids provides about 2,000- 3,000 coats for the Christmas Castle every year through the annual Coats for Kids program.”

Windsor Ridge participates in Anton’s Cleaners’ ‘Coats for Kids’

Anton’s Cleaners’ 19th annual “Coats for Kids” winter coat drive is up and running and accepting coat donations through Jan. 11, 2014.
Windsor Ridge of Westborough, Mass. is on board as a Corporate Partner for the program.

The coat drive has one simple goal – to help individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to keep themselves and their families warm. “Coats for Kids” is New England’s largest coat drive, collecting over 856,000 coats since the program began. Last year’s drive collected 52,000 coats, with Anton’s donating over $10M in cleaning services since the program’s inception.

Participating companies and organizations collect good quality, warm winter coats and then bring them to any of Anton’s Cleaners’ 42 locations or one of the five Jordan’s Furniture stores. Once collected and cleaned, coats are distributed free of charge through the Distribution Partner network.

Promotional partners for the 2013-2014 “Coats for Kids” collection include Jordan’s Furniture, KISS 108, Wicked Local, Fox 25 and Jam’n 94.5.

For more information, visit https://antons.com/cfk/ or contact Stephanie Littlefield, Anton’s Cleaners Community Relations, at 978-851-3721 x15 or Stephanie@antons.co

Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/westborough/news/x1467739384/Windsor-Ridge-participates-in-Antons-Cleaners-Coats-for-Kids#ixzz2ogCimHwr
Follow us: @WestboroughNews on Twitter | westboroughnews on Facebook

2012-2013 Drive Results

Thank you for making the 2012-2013 drive a success!!

The 2012-2013 Coats for Kids drive was an overwhelming success. The public, along with 261 schools, and 315 corporate and community partners, dropped off coats from October 15, 2012 through January 12, 2013. The program collected, cleaned, and distributed over 52,000 coats of all sizes for families.

Every year, hundreds of Anton’s employees step up to the immense challenge of receiving and cleaning an enormous number of coats, all without charge. The company has cleaned over 800,000 coats and contributed over $10,000,000 in cleaning costs since the program began. Yet, its contribution extends far beyond that. Anton’s wants to ensure that the coats reach those in need and improve the lives of those in the communities it serves, and beyond.

“Coats for Kids is one of the main avenues for Room to Grow to put warm jackets on children being raised in poverty. We serve 400 babies and their families in Boston. Despite the financial stresses the parents face, they want the very best for their children. With the help of Coats for Kids, we are able to give these infants and toddlers much-needed winter warmth, giving their parents a boost of confidence that they are providing their children with a safe, warm and secure environment to grow up in.”
– Room to Grow

“I can only say that so many of our clients would be without decent, warm and clean coats with out the coats for kids program.”
– Community Action Programs, Inter-City, Inc.

As a result, Anton’s has developed and coordinated an extensive distribution partnership. In this program year over 90 non-profit and social service agencies signed on to distribute coats at no charge to those in need.

Distribution partners include MASSCAP, Salvation Army, , Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell, The Community Giving Tree, Rosie’s Place, Catholic Charities, Children’s Services and Boston University Medical Center: Outreach Van Project among others.

Promotional Partners FOX25, Jordan’s Furniture, KISS 108, JAM’N 94.5 and GateHouse Media all played an important role in spreading the word. Thanks to the Supporting Partners, Package Supply Company and Fuse Ideas, along with Jordan’s Furniture, the School Rewards Program once again awarded the top schools for their efforts in the collection drive.

Finally, it is really the overwhelming response of customers, individuals and the corporate, community and school partners who dedicate their time in organizing collection drives and dropping off coats, that makes it all possible.

To all our partners, thank you!


Applause for School Rewards™ winners!

Elementary Schools

1st Place

MA Hospital School, Canton, MA. 
The school received $1,200 in furnishings from Jordan’s Furniture; 100 IMAX Tickets, and a chance to be featured in the 2013-2014 Coats for Kids campaign.

2nd Place

Boutwell School, Wilmington, MA. 
The school received a $500 to purchase school supplies and books for their library.

3rd Place

SouthSchool, Stoneham, MA. 
The school received a donation of school supplies.


Middle Schools

1st Place

Boston Archdiocesan Choir School, Cambridge, MA.
The school received $1,200 in furnishings from Jordan’s Furniture; 100 IMAX tickets; and the chance to be featured in the 2013-2014 Coats for Kids campaign.

2nd Place

Millis Middle School, Millis, MA. 
The school received a $250 cash prize; and a pizza party for the entire school.

3rd Place

Concord Middle School, Concord, MA.
The school received school supplies.


Success Stories

For the second year, Coats for Kids encouraged schools to share how they make their coat drive a success. All schools that submitted a story received a 5% boost towards winning a prize in the Coats for Kids School Rewards program. Visit our Facebook page to read the wonderfully creative approaches and view videos and photos of the school’s efforts.