TOLEDO, Ohio — Over five thousand coats were given out at Jones Academy in central Toledo on Saturday to help make sure all kids in the community are able to stay warm through the cold winter months.
People who took part in the event say the love and compassion of the volunteers is what made the donation drive stand out.
Marcella Strong, a Jones Academy Student volunteer at the coat drive, said she's happy she attended this year.
Susie's Coats for Kids is working to provide a coat with a smile and Strong said not only is that mission important, but it's making a difference.
"We can raise up our community and make it a better place so that actually people want to stay and do better in our lives,” said Strong.
And it's not just Susie's Coats helping the community, other organizations and local businesses joined in the event to give back.
Buff City Soap, for example, brought handmade soap and other hygiene products.
Cassie Lewis, the general manager of Buff City Soap, believes it's important to give back.
"The community has always been a big part of my life. Like our local neighborhood, and everything have always helped me in the past, so it feels good to give back," said Lewis.
The organization's founder and executive director Susie Perry, said the coat drive is dedicated to her mother who struggled financially but did her best to raise four children.
"She was really unable to provide for us. So being able to give back to our community to help families offset the cost of an expensive coat and a hat and gloves that go with it makes a profound difference, I believe, in their life,” said Perry.
She went on to say, getting a coat is a reminder to many that a future is worth waiting for.
"When children feel warm, they feel safer and when they feel safer, they're much more hopeful about tomorrow and that was very true for me.”
This was the 16th year for the coat drive.
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