It may be sweltering outside, but two local fire departments are focusing their attention on warm winter coats.
“We’re starting our Coats for Kids drive now because we know they will be needed,” said John Horn, an Oil City fireman and member of the Oil City Firefighters Local 700. “Since this started, we’ve bought at least 3,000 new coats.”
The campaign, launched in 2014, is jointly conducted by the Oil City firefighters local and Franklin Firefighters Local 2835.
Last year, the campaign raised nearly $12,000 in public donations and resulted in coats for 588 children in grades kindergarten through fourth.
They were given out to students in the Oil City, Valley Grove, Franklin and Cranberry school districts as well as through the Children and Youth Services agency.
The apparel purchased by donations this year will be distributed in October.
“Our goal is $6,000, plus we have a little left over from last year,” said Horn who is coordinating the Coats for Kids campaign. “Our communities have been generous.”
“This year has been so crazy so far for kids and so we want to make sure that at least they have a warm and new coat to wear,” said Horn.
Even with coronavirus-induced interruptions in social interactions and school closings, some things remain certain, said Oil City Lt. Bill Lamberton.
“We know winter will come. That won’t change. And neither will our goal to make sure kids are warm,” he said.
