Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

For 26 years, Bob Gregory's Coats for Kids campaign has been providing free winter coats to children in need in Central Indiana. This is WTHR's longest-running community service campaign.

Channel 13 will again join forces with Tuchman Cleaners and the Salvation Army this fall to collect new or gently-used coats for children in need from Labor Day through October 15th. If you have a winter coat that your child has outgrown, please donate it to Coats for Kids at any Tuchman Cleaners locations throughout the Greater Indianapolis area. We need heavy winter coats of all sizes – coats for little babies and all the way through the teen years. If you would like to make a monetary donation to Coats for Kids, click here. You can also mail a check to the Salvation Army (*be sure to put "Coats for Kids" on the memo line) at 3100 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208.

And we're excited once again to have the Indianapolis Colts join our campaign. A special Coats for Kids collection at the Colts game will be held on Sunday, October 7th from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the main gates of the Lucas Oil Stadium right before the Colts take on the Green Bay Packers. WTHR personalities and volunteers from Tuchman Cleaners and the Salvation Army will be there to accept coat and cash donations from Colts fans.

Tuchman Cleaners will clean all of the gently-used coats and the Salvation Army will transport them to the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where they will sort and prepare them for distribution.

This year, the Coats for Kids distribution will take place on Saturday, October 20th from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. in Agricultural/Horticultural Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Any child who needs a coat will receive one that day. There is only one requirement: an adult must accompany all children and there is a limit of one coat per child. Bilingual (Spanish) volunteers will also be on site to assist non-English speaking families.

Bob Gregory, Weather Director Emeritus for WTHR Channel 13 and Coats for Kids spokesman, says "This campaign could not take place without the incredible support of our community. Channel 13 and our partners, Tuchman Cleaners and the Salvation Army, look forward to helping children in need each year." In 2011, Coats for Kids gave away nearly 9,000 coats to children in Central Indiana.

Coats for Kids needs volunteers to help with the sorting and distributing process. If you, your family, organization, church, or school would like to help, sign up online at the Salvation Army website, www.salvationarmyindiana.org, or call the Salvation Army Volunteer Coordinator at (317) 224-1010.

For more information on the Bob Gregory's Coats for Kids campaign, please contact Angela Cain, WTHR Community Affairs Director at (317) 655-5620 or acain@wthr.com.