Program Giving New Coats To Needy Kids In Bucks Co.

FAIRLESS HILLS, PA — About 7,000 children in Bucks County will get new winter coats thanks to a program backed by auto dealers in the area.

In all, a record 51,696 children throughout the region will get coats through the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation this year. Most recently, 1,896 coats were delivered to children Tuesday at the Fairless Hills YMCA.

The event was part of the 11th annual Driving Away the Cold program. About 180 car dealerships, 47 of them in Bucks County, are taking part. According to the group, about 1 in 6 children in the greater Philadelphia region lives in poverty and a warm winter coat is often one of the things those children live without.

"We started this effort back in 2008. We were looking for a program that our dealer members could support collectively and one that really focused on improving the lives of young, area kids," said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation.

That first year, the group distributed about 18,000 new coats in the five-county region. This year, they plan to deliver nearly three times that. By the end of this year, the program will have given away about 365,000 coats since 2008.

"Clearly and unfortunately, the need is present, and we are committed to doing our part to help with that," Mazzucola said.

Participating car dealers conduct pledge drives to raise money for the coats. The Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia also donates $2 from every ticket sold to its Philadelphia Auto Show.

The coats are distributed through 220 social-service agencies, school districts, churches and shelters.

The following distribution and delivery events are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 19 in Bucks County:

• Upper Bucks YMCA-Croydon
• Central Bucks YMCA-Doylestown
• Central Bucks YMCA-Warminster

"A new, quality winter coat does so much more than keep a child warm," Mazzucola said. "It provides them with a boost of self-confidence and a great sense of pride in ownership of that coat. All of these feelings ultimately help them arrive to school ready and willing to learn."

Members of the public are invited to purchase a new coat for a local child in need by visiting the group's website.

Photo courtesy Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation