Can you spare a coat?

As the chilly winter months approach, thousands of disadvantaged and vulnerable children across Australia will be left shivering – but your pre-loved coat can keep them warm.

A collaboration between not-for-profits Big Group Hug and Off Your Back, the ‘Coats4Kids Campaign’ began on 16 May, and will run until 31 July, with the goal of collecting 5,000 donated coats.

Adult coats will be passed on to Off Your Back, while coats for children aged 2 – 16 years will be distributed via Big Group Hug to Victorian children in need.

Big Group Hug CEO, Bernadene Voss, said the statistics around kids in poverty are horrific, but helping disadvantaged kids is something anyone can do.

“It is critical that families facing hardship have warm coats to give their children. We know that more than one in six Australian children are living in poverty, and over and above this statistic, there are many children without appropriate clothes for the Melbourne winter. We are very happy to be collaborating with Off Your Back, who have been collecting adult coats for many years and expanding this to include children,” Ms Voss said.

Off Your Back founder Toni Joel said she was pleased to work with Big Group Hug to help more vulnerable children.

“Over the past 20 years, Off Your Back has managed to collect and distribute over 150,000 coats to those in need without spending one cent! We are thrilled to partner with Big Group Hug so we can keep more children warm this winter,” she said.

Big Group Hug is based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, and the nearest collection point for coats is in Airport West – however, Coats4Kids is eager to accept more volunteers to host collection points across the state.

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-05-31/5

in the 31 May 2022 edition
OR
pick up a paper around your town.