WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Tis the season for helping out the community and making sure everyone has a safe and warm holiday so KAKE is taking part in our annual Warm Hearts coat drive. KAKE will be collecting donations for new and gently used winter apparel at KAKE studios and other locations around town.
Often times folks will get new coats, gloves, hats, or scarves for Christmas, and here at KAKE, we have an idea for what you can do with your gently used winter apparel items - donate them.
“Poverty in Wichita definitely does not have a discrimination based on age. You know, you may have a family with newborn infants who are dealing with the struggles of finding warmth and heat during the winter months and so it's important that those people are also taken care of,” said Aaron Lair, creative director at KAKE.
KAKE has been taking part in Warm Hearts, a massive coat drive, since 1986 collecting new and gently used winter apparel items for those in need in Sedgwick County. But KAKE doesn't do it alone.
KAKE partners with Jiffy Lube and In the Bag Cleaners to collect coats for the Salvation Army to distribute before the winter of 2024.
“It's really important to KAKE that the public knows that they don't have to go through it alone. They have people in the community who care for them. So that's what this is all about,” said Lair.
This year the Salvation Army distributed 2,000 coats in Wichita, and Warm Hearts has collected thousands of coats over the years.
“There’s really no goal or limit in mind that we have, just as long as we continue that momentum of getting people in and donating the coats they have,” said Lair.
Each coat and piece of apparel donated will be cleaned for free by In the Bag Cleaners, so every person can be warm and hygienic during the winter.
“They clean the coats and make sure we’re not giving anything ratty or dirty to someone who needs these coats. They need to be just as good quality as what you would find on the shelf or on the rack,” said Lair.
You can drop off any donations at KAKE Studios on West Street, or any Jiffy Lube or In the Bag Cleaners location in Wichita from now until January 12.