The Salvation Army of Greater Columbus is hosting its annual coat drive, "Coats for Columbus," which was formerly known as "Coats for Kids."
"We wanted to expand the drive to not only children …but adults too," said Alice Hohl, community director of the Salvation Army.
Each fall, The Salvation Army collects thousands of new and gently used coats which are donated from all over Central Ohio.
This year "Coats for Columbus" gained a local OSU sponsor in "Sartoria the Show," a fashion show that showcases local and national designers at an OSU event.
"The show is definitely growing," said Ryan Kemp, senior in architecture and director of the fashion show. "So I wanted to add a charity aspect."
This is the first year "Coats for Columbus" has an affiliation from an OSU organization.
"We are very excited, we love opportunities to work with different partnerships," Hohl said.
In the past, The Salvation Army has held the coat drive at Veterans Memorial, where families could pick up donated coats. Over the past two years, this policy has changed to make the coats more accessible.
"We send coats out to each of our [Salvation Army] stores," Hohl said. "This way people can pick them up close to their homes."
Many families around Columbus are in great need of coats and each winter. "Coats for Columbus" accepts all types and sizes of coats, but this year there is a greater need for children's coats and extra large coats.
"[Kids] grow out of their coats after one year," Hohl said. "It's not like an adult, where they can have a decent coat for a couple of years."
This fall, "Coats for Columbus" has eight different partnerships from all over Columbus and Hohl said they are always grateful for any help they can get. Their affiliations include King Business Interiors, ThisWeek Newspapers, Dublin Cleaners, Caskey Cleaners, Casto, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Metropolitan Library and this year, "Sartoria the Show."
"We have boxes set up at every Columbus Metropolitan Library … people can drop coats off there anytime," Hohl said.
To make it more convenient to donate for students and staff at OSU, there will be boxes set up in the main hallway at Hale Hall through Oct. 24.
"If you donate a coat, you will get a discount to the Sartoria show," Kemp said.
Prospective donors can bring their coats to Hale Hall Monday through Friday between 3 to 9 p.m. Coats can be exchanged for a $6 pre-ordered ticket to "Sartoria the Show," which will take place Nov. 22 at the Columbus Convention Center. Pre-ordered tickets are originally $12. Tickets at the door are $15.
Alexis Hopkins can be reached at hopkins.572@osu.edu
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