United Way Pembina Valley’s Koats for Kids campaign this year did not have a repeat of 2022.
The annual initiative to provide new or gently used winter clothing for families in need last year saw the demand go up dramatically, but fewer donations meant people had to be turned away.
This year, the numbers were thankfully more back to normal for the distribution days held last Thursday in Morden at the 500 Stephen Community Centre and in Winkler at the Central Station Community Centre.
“Something unusual was going on in 2022,” said organizer Audrey Armstrong, who suggested it was perhaps the influx of immigrants from Ukraine as well as other newcomers who had been delayed because of the pandemic. “Apparently there were way more people coming then as a result.
“This year was a more normal year. We were wondering if this year was going to be a repeat of last year, which was pretty crazy.”
She said they gave away 262 coats or snow pants in Morden and 266 in Winkler.
“We had more boots donated than previous years, and most of these were distributed along with lots of toques, scarves, and mittens,” Armstrong shared.
There was no charge for any of the clothing, so anyone who needed it was welcome to come pick something up.
Armstrong observed that it’s good news indeed that there wasn’t as much need.
“So we did have a fair amount left. We’re going to set aside some of it, especially the kids’ stuff. We’re going to store them this year, which we haven’t done in the past because we didn’t have much storage,” she said.
“One thing that’s different that’s been happening is we’ve gotten some calls from places like, say, Genesis House … they’re saying we’ve had a family come in and they came with next to nothing,” said Armstrong. “We’re thinking throughout the season we might get more of those calls, so it would be nice if we can have something available for those people.
“If it doesn’t get used over this season, we’ve got it for next year … and I’m thinking some stuff may be able to go to the thrift store.”
Armstrong said they are very grateful to the citizens of Morden and Winkler for again supporting this program.
“We had lots of lovely winter coats and children’s snow sets and other winter gear donated and felt much better positioned to meet the need this year than we did last year,” she said.
“The event ran very smoothly in both locations, and most of the folks who attended were successful in finding some winter gear that will help them stay a little warmer this winter.”
