One warm coat can be a lifesaver

February 15, 2021 – With recordbreaking cold locking Oklahoma in a deep freeze, national nonprofit One Warm Coat is urging people to help provide life-saving warmth to those in their communities who may be ill-equipped to deal with frigid temperatures.

“The quickest way to make a difference is to donate a new or gently worn coat through a coat drive,” said Beth W. Amodio, One Warm Coat’s president and chief executive officer. “There’s also still time this winter season to register to hold a coat drive to make an immediate impact on the lives of children and adults in your community,”

Additionally, One Warm Coat is partnering with Eddie Bauer stores across the US and Canada to collect new and gently worn coats through April. Customers who bring coat donations to their local store will receive $10 off a same-day, in-store outerwear purchase.

Active coat drives, including Eddie Bauer locations, can be found by visiting One Warm Coat’s interactive coat drive map. For those interested in hosting a coat drive, One Warm Coat provides all of the resources necessary to register, promote, and manage drives -- and partners with nonprofits in communities across the country to ensure every coat that’s collected is delivered to someone in need. One Warm Coat is providing social distancing and safety tips to ensure everyone involved in the Coat Drive Program can participate safely.

The need couldn’t be greater. Because of the economic crisis created by COVID-19, demand for coats in most communities is up 30-50 percent compared with last year at this time. Meanwhile, One Warm Coat is experiencing a 60 percent decrease in the number of registered coat drives. The result: A shortage of warm winter coats at a time when an estimated 30 million Americans are unemployed and more than 1 in 8 American households are living in poverty.

One Warm Coat, which distributed more than 500,000 free coats to children and adults in need in the 2019-20 winter season, relies on volunteer-led drives to collect coats, which it then distributes through partnerships with local nonprofits. Workplaces and schools are often major contributors -but because of COVID-19, many com

panies and schools have been unable to host drives this year.

For those who than half the traffic of a year ago, before the pandemic hit with full force.

The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued want to help but are unable to collect coats, making a financial contribution to One Warm Coat is another way to make a life-changing impact. Every $1 donated a disaster declaration for all of the state’s 254 counties. Abbott, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson each activated National Guard units to assist state agencies with tasks including rescuing warms 1 person. To learn more, visit: https://www. onewarmcoat.org.

For more information or to set up an interview with One Warm Coat President stranded drivers.

President Joe Biden also declared an emergency in Texas in a statement Sunday night. The declaration is intended to add federal aid to state and local response efforts. Beth Amodio, Contact:

Scott Westcott Turn Two Communications |scott@ turn-two.co |(814) 881-0389