COATS FOR KIDS CAMPAIGN
Coats for Kids
Coats for Kids is a program that our Mission Team directs. It provides winter coats for school aged and younger children living in Clay County. Brazil First United Methodist Church began the Coats for Kids program to help insure that the children of this county are kept warm in the winter. We work with the schools, Open Hands Preschool and the County Child Welfare office to ensure that any child in need of a winter coat is provided with one. Children are identified thru the schools, and the county child welfare office and then passed to the Mission Team here at Brazil First United Methodist Church.
There are several steps in the process of identifying each child and that is done to protect each child’s privacy. Thankfully we are lucky enough here at Brazil First United Methodist Church to have some church members that are willing to shop for the Mission Team and purchase the needed coats with donations received throughout the year. We are also fortunate to have some members that shop throughout the year for coats. They find coats on sale or at end of season close-outs to add to our inventory of coats.
Once the coats are brought to the church, members of the Mission Team group them according to school and deliver them to the school nurses for distribution using coded forms that will identify the recipient. We insert a business card sized note that indicates the coat was provided by Brazil First United Methodist Church into the pocket of each coats.
Throughout the year many of our church members designate a portion of their weekly contributions to this Mission Team Program. Once the Coats for Kids program has begun in the late summer we ask our members for additional donations to help ensure this program is a success. There are also fund-raising events to help with the financing of the program. Because of the contributions made by the people of Brazil First United Methodist Church, and the hard work of everyone involved, it is insured that every child in Clay County has a proper warm winter coat to wear. If you are interested in more information regarding Coats for Kids please contact Ellen Packard.