Coats to be given free to under-privileged children beginning in Washington, DC
Contact: Andrew Walther, Knights of Columbus, 203-752-4253
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Jan. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus will distribute thousands of coats beginning next week to needy children as part of the organization's "Coats for Kids" program.
The Knights of Columbus has purchased 7,800 coats from OshKosh B'gosh and London Fog and will distribute them through local Knights councils in several US cities beginning in Washington, DC on January 19, which has been designated National Day of Service.
"As our nation faces tough economic times, we believe it is very important to respond within our communities in concrete ways to help those most in need," said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. "Helping children in need was a fundamental reason for the formation of the Knights of Columbus in 1882 and continues to be a very important component of our work today."
Coats for children ages 6 to 12 will be distributed by Knights of Columbus councils in Washington, DC as follows: 600 coats St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Southeast Washington, 300 at Nativity Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, and 300 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Northeast Washington.
The distribution at each location will take place between 10 a.m. and noon on January 19, the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and a national holiday.
Parents who might otherwise be unable to secure warm clothing for their children are invited to bring their children to one of the three locations to be outfitted with a new coat.
Coats are also slated to be distributed later this month in the Detroit and Chicago areas. Details on distribution will be posted at www.kofc.org/coats
The "Coats for Kids" program is an outgrowth of the Knights' "Help a Child in Need" campaign, which began in 2006 with nationwide television advertisements encouraging people to donate to charities in their areas in support of poor children.
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest lay Catholic organization with more than 1.7 million members worldwide. Last year, Knights gave more than 68 million hours of their time to charitable causes and donated more than $144 million to charity.
