SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual Coats for Kids drive is underway at Ineeda Cleaners. The event began on Tuesday, Oct. 1 and will run through Thursday, Oct. 31.
"Ineeda Cleaners at 13th and Main is our collection spot for people to bring gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, anything that the community can use to help keep people warm and comfortable in those winter months," Rachel Nelson with Ineeda Cleaners said. "Then we clean them and deliver them to Salvation Army for their distribution day."
The Coats for Kids drive was started by former Ineeda Cleaners owner, John Neal.
"John Neal was the owner at the time that the first idea started," Nelson said. "Local radio personality, Dan Deming, collaborated with John and that's how it originally got started."
Nelson and her husband, Chris, took over the ownership of Ineeda Cleaners and elected to keep the annual drive going.
"For Chris and I, we both grew up in Hutchinson and obviously it's wonderful to have the opportunity to use your talent and help people," Nelson said. "So it was an easy decision, of course we wanted to be a part of something that can help the community, but most especially the kids, who need coats when they're outside at school or walking to school, or just being outside and being warm."
Nelson and her team want to beat the Kansas winter by collecting the donations in October.
"We want to be ready for that Kansas winter, you never know when it's going to start," Nelson said. "We don't want to wait until it's a holiday or a Christmas gift or anything like that, we want to get out in front of the weather and make sure everyone is ready to go before we have some crazy blizzard or you never know."
Although Nelson and her team at Ineeda Cleaners do not get to see the children when they're picking up the coats, they do see the joy in people dropping off donations.
"The people who are bringing us donations, they are heartfelt," Nelson said. "When they leave those coats, they put effort into cleaning out their closets and they drop them off and they just have a big smile. They have a generous heart, and they're happy to help us help other people. We're kind of just the middle man of the process, but the community's heart is so big, and I know it brings comfort and joy to the people that are getting those nice coats, or a grandma, or an aunt, or an uncle who's taking care of kids that can get that child a coat and not have to worry about the expense of it. Really, the joy is knowing that we're making a difference, but really those people coming into our store are so happy to help."\
The Salvation Army does the coat distribution in November.