The Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club, in cooperation with the Porter County Career and Technical Center, is once again having their Annual Coat Drive. Steve Ingram with the Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club said, “There has been an increase in requests for items like hats, coats and mittens. The program runs all winter."
Jon Groth, Principal of the Porter County Career and Technical Center and also a member of the Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club, is the co-chair with Steve Ingram for the initiative. Groth said, “This is a great program to help those in need. The kids at the Career Center also help with this by organizing all the coats that are coming in.”
Ingram said “We’ve had this program for about five years now and it has steadily built up. Once we get the word out, the coats start coming in and we want to be able to give back to the community.” He continued, “At the Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club, we are all about helping children; our only guiding goal is to help children. It’s a real need and the benefit is that it can help the quality of life for someone.”
Page Collins (senior) and Travis Newman (junior), both from Washington Township High School and students at the Porter County Career and Technical Center, help out with organizing the coats that are being donated. They were happy to show some of the coats that are ready to be worn by someone in need. Page also said Washington Township High School is collecting coats, which will also be available at the Porter County Career and Technical Center. Page said, “Our whole family is donating coats this year.”
If you are in need of a coat, you can call the Porter County Career and Technical Center at 219-531-3170 or walk in to the main office and the secretary will direct you to the coat room. Ingram explained, “We have coats in all sizes from youth to adult. We also have hats and mittens.”
If you would like to contribute new or gently used coats for someone in need, you can call the Career Center at 531-3170, drop them off at 1005 N. Franklin Street in Valparaiso, or you can email the Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club at 1makingadifference@gmail.com or call 464-4138.