Plymouth Nonprofit Hopes to Give Away 1,000 Coats
A Plymouth-based organization that typically holds a yearly coat donation event is now looking for other avenues to distribute kids’ coats due to COVID-19 regulations. Organizers of Coated in Love thought they might have to cancel this year’s event.
“In the beginning, we gave away maybe 300 coats a year, and we went from giving 300 coats a year to providing 700 coats a year,” said co-founder Danielle Igbanugo.
Winter Gear collected from Plymouth-based Coated In Love in 2018.
Igbanugo and Valarie Gilbert started Coated in Love 10 years ago. The goal this year is to give out 1,000 coats. The group received an additional $10,000 in donations and planned to buy more children’s coats. Typically they would distribute the winter gear at a community center. But COVID-19 wouldn’t allow that to happen. Now the organization is working with community leaders to do drive-through pick-up services.
Igbanugo says the coats are badly needed because so many people are out of work and struggling.
“This the year people are going to really need us most. COVID, with families whose parents lost jobs, or a parent lost a job. There was a huge need for it. So I reached out to sponsors, and they came through,” she explained.
Information on the drive-through services should be up on Coated in Love’s Facebook page soon.
