Coats for Kids provides 9,300+ coats to Indy families in need

We’ve all heard the saying, “it takes a village” and that was certainly true this October. The Salvation Army has been priviledged to partner with Tuchman Cleaners and Bob Gregory and our friends from WTHR-13 for the past 24 years to gather, clean and distribute coats to kids in need. Hoosiers are a generous group of people donating enough coats (and dollars to buy more coats) to clothe all of the kids who attended Saturday’s distribution day at the Fairgrounds.

So, we’d like to take a moment to thank all the people and businesses who make this event a success. Read more

24th Annual Coats For Kids Rises Above Expectations for 2010

After a week of setting up in the Exposition Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the 24th annual WTHR/Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids was in full swing Saturday morning. Crowds were lined up around the building when the doors opened at 8am. Despite concerns about the lacking number of donations early on and the struggling economy, this year’s distribution was blessed with a record total of 9,326 coats.

“What a perfect trick or treat on Halloween weekend. The treat was 9,000 coats given. No trick involved there at all. We also had a lot of citizens donate. I think we had $7,000 to spend in purchasing new coats” said the man who started this campaign 24 years ago, Bob Gregory.

Approximately 300 volunteers gave up their Saturday and worked in shifts to escort families during their shopping experience at Coats for Kids. Some also worked as runners to replenish  racks of coats when the selections ran low. If you’ve ever wondered who our volunteers are, this year’s force was made up of several church groups, WTHR staff, and other individuals without whom The Salvation Army could not pull off such an event. Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Wilhelm said, “It was a great day and everything went so well!”

Once again, Tuchman Cleaners played an important role as the official drop off point, cleaner of coats and delivering the coats to the fairgrounds during the week of the event. On hand to greet the children were the Colts cheerleaders, Butler mascot “Blue” and Salvation Army officers.

“Our warmth goes out to those kids and families that for this year  have a new, nice warm coat. Thanks for the treat!” Bob Gregory, retired weather forecaster for WTHR.

Lumina Foundation supports Coats for Kids

Their $500 donation will help us give kids in need coats, hats and gloves before the snowflakes fly! And there’s still time for you to help, too.

• If you’re a parent, please check your closets at home for gently used coats that your kids no longer need. And please encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can drop off coat donations at any Tuchman Cleaners.
• Make a secure donation on-line here.
• Volunteer to set-up for Coats for Kids by calling Elizabeth at 224-1010. It takes an organized team to distribute thousands of coats.

Hoosiers have never let their neighbors in need down. We’re counting on our community to come out in full force to make sure that no kid goes without a coat this winter. And thanks again to the Lumina Foundation for supporting Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids campaign!

Walmart donates $5,000 in coats for kids in need

   

 

With a few dollars in last minute donations to spend for Coats for Kids, we called our friends at Walmart to see which store had the most coats available in stock. With $1,000 to spend, we knew we’d find good coats for great prices. Well, we can always count on Walmart to go above and beyond with their support for The Salvation Army. After hosting our shoppers and helping us with our purchases, Walmart donated $5,000 in coats to Indy’s kids in need! We just can’t thank Walmart enough for helping us help families who are struggling.  

This year’s Bob Gregory’s Coats For Kids was easily the largest distribution day to date with the line to enter at the Northwest Pavilion stretching for blocks around the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This annual partnership with Tuchman Cleaners and WTHR-13 distributed coats to more than 5,000 area children on Saturday. (Check out the video on the right) Read more

The official cleaner of Coats for Kids

Over the past 23 years, Tuchman Cleaners has cleaned over 170,000 coats that have been generously donated for Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids program! That’s a remarkable number. But even more amazing is the fact that each of those coats represents a child in need who did not go without a coat that winter. Those coats represent thousands of parents who were struggling to provide basic necessities for their children, and Hoosiers stepped up to the challenge to take care of their neighbors.

We want to thank Mike Washington and the team at Tuchman Cleaners for being a vital part of this program that touches so many families. Thanks for your partnership, for all the time and energy your devote to helping collect and clean those coats. We truly couldn’t do this without you! Read more

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