Anyone in need of a coat this winter will have a chance to get one for free tomorrow. The Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning has been organizing a coat drive for the past few weeks, and tomorrow, they’ll be handing them out.
Coordinator of student services and programs Jerry Gurrado says it’s a return for the SCILL Center’s coat drive, which was an annual event for several years. “Our problem became, a couple years ago, we didn’t have a method for distribution,” he explains. “And this year, we cranked it back up again because we were able to get a couple different churches that have jumped on board and graciously said, ‘Yes, we will do that,’ and the distribution day is this weekend.”
The distribution events take place tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon at the Bible Baptist Church on U.S. 35 in Knox and the North Judson United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. “There’s a variety of sizes for both kids and adults and it’s first-come, first-served,” Gurrado says. “There’s no cost. We don’t ask anybody for anything as far as financial requirements or anything else. Show up if you need a coat for you or your kids, come get it.” The donated coats have come from SCILL students, as well as drop-off boxes in local businesses.
In addition to helping those in need, Gurrado says the coat drive is a valuable learning opportunity for SCILL students. “We think our kids in all three of our programs, in automotive and welding and our robotics program, are all going to be very successful, and part of the soft skills that we try and teach them are that you pay things forward and you give back to your community,” he says. “So we’re kind of trying to set them up for their future about just kind of mentally getting used to doing some things for folks less fortunate than you.”
Gurrado says anyone who would still like to donate coats will still be able to drop them off over the next week or so. Collection boxes are located at Five Star and Key Bank in Knox and Bailey’s Discount Center, Heartland Market, and Route 10 Bar and Grill in North Judson.
For more information, contact the SCILL Center at 574-772-8001.
