Submitted Photo A collection bin stands ready to receive the gift of warmth at the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County.

The United Way of Northern Chautauqua County is appealing to all parents, grandparents, caretakers, and residents in the area to check their closets, and forgotten clothes for winter coats, especially for children. After receiving calls for coats the local United Way is launching a coat drive to help ensure that all children in our area have the necessary items to endure our winter season.

Executive Director Adam Dolce said, “We have heard from other agencies that they are having difficulty finding jackets for kids that they are working with. We see this as an opportunity to respond to a need and activate the network we work with to give and help our neighbors, and the youngest among us. That is what being a United Way is all about.”

Collection bins will be available to receive donated items at the Community Bank locations in Cassadaga, Westfield, and Vineyard Drive in Dunkirk. The United Way office located at 626 Central Ave, Dunkirk will also receive donations. In addition, several workplaces are being asked to consider taking up collecting coats from their employees. United Way staff or volunteers can be contacted at 366-5424, to collect donations made to a worksite.

Once collected, East Main Laundry, in Fredonia, has generously offered to launder the items to ensure they are clean and ready for distribution. Dolce stated that, “The generosity exhibited by Community Bank to host the drop boxes and East Main Laundry to donate the cleaning was key to getting this project underway. When I contacted Bob Scudder, I was hoping we could just use the laundry facility, but he really went above and beyond in offering to clean each donation for us. It’s our neighbors looking out for and caring about each other that will ultimately make this endeavor successful.”

United Way will work with their partners and other agencies in the region to distribute the coats to children in need.

The United Way of Northern Chautauqua County’s mission is to empower our local community through education, financial stability and health.  One in three of our neighbors have been impacted by local outcome based programming, funded by strategic investments of $ 4,010,150 since 1999.  The United Way is located at 626 Central Ave., Dunkirk. Visit us on the web at www.unitedwayncc.org; follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.