Coats 4 Kids helps keep community warm

Thanks to the community, local youth and adults in need will be a lot warmer this winter.

Donations from community businesses and community members raised $3,720 in cash — all of which went to purchasing coats and winter gear for local youth, Karen Battenschlag, local Coats 4 Kids organizer, said.

Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty, $2,500; Litehouse Inc., $1,000; Daher, $120 (in cash); John and Jaymie Heron, $100; and Larson's, $1,000 in coats. The donations helped Coats 4 Kids provide over 350 new coats to local youth and adults in need. 

Several hundred coats for youth and adults were also donated, allowing the local drive to have 626 coats available.

Coats are being distributed, with the assistance of Debbie Love at Bonner Community Food Bank to residents in the county, with distribution at the Sandpoint and Priest River locations.

"The team at the food bank have things set up and ready for you to shop, and there are many coats left," Battenschlag said. "You do not have to be a member of the food bank to get a free coat for yourself or anyone else you know who needs a coat. Go and shop and be warm this winter."

In Sandpoint, the Bonner Community Food Bank is located at 1707 Culvers Drive. The facility is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon.

In Priest River, the food bank is located at 175 S. McKinley and is open on Thursdays from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Those in need of winter coats do not need to give anything to get the items, Battenschlag said. All coats stay in the community and are given to those in need at no charge. Coats will be distributed at the two food bank locations through the end of the month.  

The local Coats 4 Kids organization was started 34 years ago by KXLY News 4 and Tomlinson Sotheby’s. It has been successful every year through donations of new and gently used coats as well as monetary donations to purchase items. Along with the help of many community members and sponsors, Coats 4 Kids has given 300,000 coats to those who need them in the region.

Battenschlag has been a part of the local Coats 4 Kids program since 2014, volunteering on behalf of Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty after working at the Lake Pend Oreille School District. 

As a Coats 4 Kids volunteer, she has helped collect, clean, and distribute more than 1,000 coats annually in Bonner County. During her time with the organization, Coats 4 Kids has distributed over 5,000 coats and numerous winter hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens in the community.

Battenschlag thanked donors and sponsors for helping ensure this year's coat drive was a success. Regional sponsors include News 4 Now,  STCU, Papa’s Murphy’s, Goodwill, Alsco and Fred’s Appliances. Local supporters include Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty, Selkirk Association of Realtors, Safeway Store No. 350,  Kootenai Elementary, Daher, Community EnVision Resource Center, the Bonner County Daily Bee, and the Bonner Community Food Bank.   

"Much gratitude to all of you who donated winter warmth to children and adults in our community who need a little extra help this winter," Battenschlag said. "Bonner County, your generosity is always greatly appreciated. This is an amazing community that I am grateful for every day."

    Stephanie Rief, Selkirk Association of Realtors, and Debbie Love, Bonner Community Food Bank are pictured among a few of the coats available at the Sandpoint location of the food bank.
  

    A volunteer brings a shopping cart loaded high with coats to distribute to local youth as part of the annual Coats 4 Kids drive.
  

    A volunteer is mostly hidden behind racks of coats available as part of the annual Coats 4 Kids drive. Coats can be found at the Sandpoint and Priest River locations of the Bonner Community Food Bank.