Community Volunteers Helping Keep Families Warm

Appalachian Outreach Coats For The Cold Program 2013 – Staff Photo by Jacquelyn Muncy

Appalachian Outreach hosted a Coats for the Cold drive this past Saturday, November 9. Needy families from Jefferson County came to Jefferson Elementary School and were assisted by volunteers in picking out coats and other winter items.

Coats for the Cold was developed out of a basic necessity for survival: warmth. For thirteen years Appalachian Outreach has provided this essential need for families in the Jefferson County area. AO collects for three months and, for one week preceding the event, intensely works to sort through hundreds of coats, heaters, scarves, hats, gloves, and other similar items. Angie, a representative from AO, said that it’s a big job and they thank Jefferson Elementary School for hosting the day long drive. This year, AO helped 543 people and handed out a little over 1,600 coats and 164 heaters.

Volunteers from all over the community, which include several churches and businesses, helped the disadvantaged families find the things they needed to survive this winter season. Lydia Miller, a volunteer from Magna View Baptist Church, has been volunteering for three years now and is uniquely helpful in that she is able to communicate with our community’s Hispanic population. Lydia, a homeschooled senior, said she “likes working with and helping people in general.”

Appalachian Outreach continually accepts donations throughout the year and regularly holds events, such as the Coats for the Cold drive, to assist the deprived families in Jefferson County. To make a donation at AO, drop off your items at their location at 190 W Old AJ Hwy, across from the city park.