Boys and Girls Club helps families bundle up

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- As the colder temperatures inch closer, it goes without saying how important it is to keep yourself and your little ones bundled up outside. 

But clothing costs can add up, making it tough for families on a budget.

A simple Google search of a ‘kids winter jacket’ will show you options from $20 to over $100, and for families with multiple kids, that cost can be overwhelming. 

“Especially for the less fortunate that doesn’t have it with many little kids,” says a parent and club member, Evonne Stone.

Parents like Evonne Stone are thankful they won’t have to break the bank this winter to keep their kids warm. 

“At the lowest, three to four hundred dollars, especially with inflation,” Stone says.

That’s how much Stone typically has to fork up on winter jackets for her three children.

But Tuesday she walked out of the Boys and Girls Club of Saint Joseph County with jackets and a pair of shoes for her kids and her three nieces and nephews at no cost. 

“There are obviously members of our community who may not be able to otherwise afford a coat or our larger families and the weather’s getting colder,” says Ashley Person, Club Director of the OC Carmichael Site of the Boys and Girls Club.

Six hundred coats and 400 pairs of shoes were donated to the club by Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that strives to keep children in need warm in the cold winter months. 

“I saw a lot of the kids picking out their favorite colors, or to match their sister, or have a coat that matches moms even tonight,” Person says.

“Definitely a blessing,” says Stone.

The club still has hundreds of leftover jackets and shoes, they're available for any club kids that still need them before the winter if families reach out. 

You can help support Operation Warmth, here.