For the third year in a row, the Fire Department is collecting gently used and new coats for donation before winter.
Community Education Coordinator Jim Kerby started the coat drive three years ago when he spoke to someone from the school district and realized there was a need amongst students for winter wear.
With the Bird’s Nest having run out of coats that year, he combined the two needs and created the drive that is in operation today.
In its first year, the drive collected 55 coats, followed by 88 the next. This year, Kerby hopes to break the 100 mark and then some. He is appreciative of all those contributing to the drive, particularly Scotch Cleaners in Lawrence, where the owners have offered to clean the coats for free before they are handed over to the Bird’s Nest.
“Last year with those 88 coats, we were told that people were calling out there to the Bird’s Nest before we even got the coats back from Scotch Cleaners,” he said. “Those 88 coats went in nothing flat.”
The department is also accepting backpacks in good condition, as well as new gloves and stocking caps.
For Kerby, this drive is simply an extension of what the Fire Department is already doing in keeping the community safe.
“Keep them warm. Keep them healthy. We don’t want them getting out there, running around outside in the winter in a light little sweater and getting sick,” he said.
The drive is also largely about community-building for the department as well.
“We’re part of the community, too,” Kerby said. “We’re just trying to take care of our own.”
Firefighter and EMT Nicholas Swanger also sees this as an opportunity for the department to do more for the community.
“We’re always just trying to come up with new ways in ‘How can we give back? How can we help people out? How can we make them safer? How can we make this place better?’ There’s just always something new,” he said.
The department is looking for coats of all sizes and styles, so long as the coats are in good shape with no tears.
“If you’re looking to donate it or get rid of it or give it to Goodwill, why not give it to another place that it’s still going toward a good cause, but it’s being more so used for somebody that is underprivileged?” Swanger said.
Assistant Fire Chief Chris Hull also sees this as an opportunity to help out those less fortunate in the community, as the coats are free to those who need one.
By donating coats to the Fire Department, Hull said residents can guarantee that their coats are “going back to people that are going to appreciate them and use them, and it’s going to help improve their life and their living circumstances.”
Hull said this coat drive aids in furthering one of the ongoing goals of the department: preventing emergencies.
“It’s an extension of our mission. The Fire Department, at its root level, responds to emergencies, but prevention is a huge part of what we do as well,” he said. “A lot of the time people think that is fire prevention, but really injury and illness prevention is just as important.”
Hull said the drive means a lot to each member of the department, as they’re able to both collect resources from the community and redistribute them to those in need.
“It’s always something that makes us proud if we can do something to help,” he said.
Those wishing to donate coats to the drive can do so at the southwest entrance of the Fire Department or the north door of the Police Department in front of the court clerk’s office. There will be a box at each entrance marked “Coat Donations for Eudora Kids” that coats can be placed in.
Collections will be taken through the end of October, after which they will be taken to Scotch Cleaners for washing.
Those in need of a coat can inquire at the Bird’s Nest at Eudora West Resource Center at 1310 Winchester Road, Room 133. Bird’s Nest hours are 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays and 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Questions for the Bird’s Nest can be directed to 785-542-4919.
Reach reporter Emily Binkley at [email protected].
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