Barrhead’s Coats for Kids reaches milestone

BARRHEAD-WESTLOCK-It is a milestone Lane Lee, one of the founders of Barrhead's Coats for Kids program, never wanted to reach.

This year the program, which provides coats and other winter outerwear, such as ski pants, to needy children, turns 30.

Lee is the owner of Barrhead Cleaners. He cleans the apparel before giving them to Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services (FCSS) who distributes them to those in need.

"I always said I would continue to keep doing this as long as there is a need and for the last 30 years the need has been there," he said.

Coats of Kids was the brainchild of former Barrhead Leader publisher Al Blackmere.

“Al noticed that there were a lot of children in the community who didn’t seem to have proper winter gear and he asked me if I would be willing to collect, clean and help distribute the coats to needy families.”

In turn, Blackmere would ensure the word got out about the initiative. As time progressed other sponsors stepped forward to help cover the costs of the cleaning, such as long-time sponsor Servus Credit Union.

As the initiative grew, it quickly became evident that a new system was needed.

Initially, the program started small. People would drop off their gently used winter attire to Lane, where he would clean them and in some cases, make minor repairs to the garments.

However, as demand and generosity of Barrhead area residents grew beyond his ability to store and distribute the apparel and eventually, FCSS took over the distribution of the apparel.

And unfortunately, due to the coronavirus and the economic impact it has had on area residents, he expects there to be a greater need.

Fortunately, if history is any guide, Lee also expects donations to meet the increased need.

"Last year we had the most donations ever," he said.

Ros Rudd, Barrhead FCSS volunteer coordinator, also believes that there will be an increased demand for outerwear and is confident Barrhead area residents will meet the challenge.

Last year, FCSS gave out 89 coats, 35 pairs of ski pants and 59 sets of toques, mittens and scarves. She noted many of the sets were hand-knitted by local groups.

Westlock

This year Westlock and District FCSS will be changing the way it conducts their coats for kids program. Like Barrhead, Westlock's FCSS has been running their own version of Coats for Kids program from several years.

Program coordinator Carol Kassian said the program was pretty informal, noting the organization asked the public for donations of gently used, clean winter wear items.

"We did have to do some sorting and pitching of items as people tended to use us as a dumping ground," she said.

People would then come to FCSS and sort through the racks, selecting the appropriate items to suit their needs.

Out of the about 80 selections FCSS made available with more than 60 being given out.

However, due to the coronavirus, Kassian said it was clear they were going to change the way the program operates, starting with having all the items professionally cleaned.

She approached Westlock Dry Cleaners, which coincidentally is owned by Lee and managed by his son Aaron. It did not take much convincing to get the Lees onboard. Westlock's Servus Credit Union also quickly jumped on board to sponsor the program and help offset Lee's expenses.

Donations

In Barrhead, donations of gently used winter wear can be dropped off at Barrhead Cleaners, 5013-51 Street as well as Servus Credit Union, 4929-50 Avenue, during normal business hours. In Westlock, donations are being accepted at Westlock Dry Cleaners, 10115-104 Avenue, as well as FCSS building, 10004-107 Street.

All donations should be in good condition because, although Barrhead Cleaners launders all the items and can make small repairs to the clothing, they do not have the time to make major repairs. Servus Credit Union, 4929-50 Avenue, is also taking donations.

Winter wear will be collected from Oct. 15 to Nov. 9. Pickup also starts on Nov. 9 and goes to Dec. 15.

Due to COVID, both Barrhead and Westlock FCSS people will have to schedule a time for pickup. During this process, in both Barrhead and Westlock, clients will be asked for the size of apparel needed along with COVID-19 screening questions. The screening process will be repeated when clients arrive at their prospective FCSS. Any item tried on and not wanted will go into a "cooling bin" for three days to eliminate any potential trace of the COVID-19 virus.

Lee added that while the program is primarily for children from newborns to late teens, all sizes of apparel are accepted, including adult, noting he never turns articles away.

"If anything is unserviceable, we will find another use for it," he said, adding he often donates surplus items to the Bissell Centre or Mustard Seed in Edmonton.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com