In Montana's Bitter Winters, Warm Coats Are Critical Need
Coats for Kids, a charitable organization dedicated to providing winter outerwear for underprivileged children, has become a perfect fit in the Flathead Valley over the past 40 years.
“Our mission is simple,” said Coats for Kids Director Tiffany Suhr. “We believe that no child should ever have to face the bitter cold without proper winter outerwear.”
In addition to coats, the organization provides hats, boots, gloves, and socks to children in need. Coats for Kids received a $7,000 grant from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation this year to help meet a demand that keeps growing.
“This year, we helped over 800 kids,” Suhr said. “That’s an absolute record for us.”
Coats for Kids helped many of those children during an event called “Warm up the Flathead” held at a Columbia Falls elementary school in early November. That event and many others like it have cemented the organization’s 40-year legacy of caring, but it is continually working for ways to enhance services.
The organization moved its office in early December to the Northwest Montana United Way Building in Kalispell.
“We are excited to join other nonprofits in our community to help our community to an even greater capacity,” Suhr said. “We are no longer be upstairs and are much more accessible.”
The organization relies on local volunteers to head up fundraising. and all money raised locally stays in the community helping local families.
Suhr said private donations and corporate gifts, such as the one received from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation, allow Coats for Kids “to continue our work and expand our reach.”
“These contributions make a significant difference in the lives of these children,” she said.
