St. George Coat Drive: Can't Bundle Up Against Cold Without One

GUILFORD, CT — The facts and data from nonprofit agency One Warm Coat are chilling.

Hundreds of thousands die each year from the cold and winter coats could help. Kids can't regulate their body temperatures, so without a good winter coat, they are at risk for illnesses like pneumonia. The heart is stressed as it works to help keep a cold body warm, which is compounded by an increase in heart attacks during winter, and a winter coat can help.

"The unprecedented crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of millions of people," the group's website reads. "Families who were already struggling are now at severe risk, and many will be unable to pay their utility bills. The need for coats this fall and winter will be greater than ever before."

To help, the St. George 8th annual Winter Coat Drive is underway. A service project coordinated by the Peer Ministers group at the church, is for people in need of coats. And there are many.

"We are asking for new, gently used, clean, coats that will be distributed to residents along the shoreline," the church wrote on Facebook. They also welcome donations of mittens, gloves, hats and scarves.

Donation boxes are by the church entrance doors and outside the Father Sullivan Center.

"Our hope is that parishioners will drop off their donations and help to make this collection a success," the post reads.

The St. George 8th annual Winter Coat Drive will run through the end of January.