Annual "Coats for Kids" Drive

This is the 12th consecutive year that the Infant Welfare Society's Auxiliary has sponsored a coat drive for the patient families of the IWS Family Health Center in Chicago. Due to inflation and the ongoing impact that the pandemic has had on employment, families receiving the coats needed them more than ever this year.

A total of 1,038 coats were distributed during this year’s Coat Drive; 42% were gently- used coats cleaned by our corporate partner, CDOne Price Cleaners, and 58% were new coats. 

In addition to warm winter coats, several hundred patient families were also provided with hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens to make it through our traditionally cold Chicago winter.

Our Wheaton-Naperville Chapter collected 164 new coats (valued at $4,708.64) this year, in addition to raising $1,150 that was used to purchase more new coats through the Auxiliary's Warming Project.

THANK YOU to Jean Blumthal for hosting the coat-sorting meeting and for our members in their help in sorting the coats. THANK YOU to Barb Pergande and Andrea Koziarz, for co-chairing this event. And THANK YOU to Jean Blumthal and her husband and Barb Pergande and her husband for delivering all of the coats to the clinic.