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Coats for Kids

The Salvation Army of Central Indiana Coats for Kids Information

Warm Coats. Warm Smiles. Warm Hearts.

The Coats For Kids program as provided hundreds of thousands of coats to children in Central Indiana for 40 years! The Salvation Army of Central Indiana partners with WTHR and Classic Cleaners to give the gift of warmth to local children before the winter weather arrives. Every year, local children are welcome to come to our event to ick out a free warm winter coat, scarf, hat, and gloves.

We need YOUR help to make sure that the thousands of children who show up will leave with warm winter coats.

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Last year, thousands of Central Indiana children came to the Indiana State Fairgrounds with their parents to pick out the perfect coat, hat, and gloves to keep them warm through an unpredictable Indiana winter. For the kids, this is a fun day when they can hunt for a coat they can wear to school with pride and confidence. From the tiniest of newborns to high school seniors, these children all need quality winter gear to help them stay healthy and warm. Since the most-needed sizes vary from year to year, it can take an inventory of over 7,000 coats to ensure that every child will find a coat to take home.

While a winter coat may seem like a small gift, the Coats for Kids program makes a big impact on local families who are struggling to put food on the table and keep the heat on through the winter. By providing coats for their children, parents are able to use their limited funds to pay for necessities like school supplies, food, gas, utility bills, and rent. Thanks to Coats for Kids, they don’t have to choose between equipping their kids for the cold weather and paying the light bill.

We want to thank our Coats for Kids partners for making this event possible!

               

Help keep children warm this winter

Help keep children warm this winter

Volunteer:

Coats for Kids is a huge event and we need as many volunteers as we can get to set-up, fit children to the correct size coat and to clean up after the event. Volunteers are also needed to sort coats before Distribution Day. For more information contact Kathy Dalla Costa at kathy.dallacosta@usc.salvationarmy.org. We greatly appreciate your time -- check out our volunteer opportunities for this event!

Interpreters:

Are you fluent in Spanish, Burmese, Farsi, or ASL? Some of our Coats for Kids families include non-English speakers or are members of the Deaf community. If you are bilingual and would like to use your special communication skills to help families at Coats for Kids, please reach out to Kathy Dalla Costa at kathy.dallacosta@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Donate a Coat:

Classic Cleaners will collect donated coats at all of their Marion, Hamilton, and Boone County locations. Find your nearest Classic Cleaners, drop off your coats at the front, and tell them the donation is for the Coats For Kids program. Donors can also drop off any new or gently used coat at The Salvation Army Indiana Divisional Headquarters, located at 6060 Castleway West Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250. We accept all sizes!

Stats

8,530

Coats distributed in 2025

7,815

Hats, gloves and scarves given to children

6,661

Coats donated by the community

Donate Now

Donate Now

Your donation means that more children will be safe and warm this winter

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