The annual Coats for Kids drive is collecting new and gently used coats through October 31, and participating East Texas dry cleaners are cleaning every donation for free. Coats gathered during the drive go to PATH in Tyler and Longview Community Ministries, which handle getting them into the hands of kids who need them most.

Distribution day is Saturday, November 14, for children in Smith and Gregg Counties. In Longview, coats will be given out at Broughton Recreation Center. If you’re in the Tyler area, parents need to register in advance with PATH to receive the distribution details, so it’s worth making that call now rather than waiting until the second week of November.

For anyone in the Waxahachie area, the easiest way to help is to clean out the coat closet before the end of the month. Kids’ coats that have been outgrown still have plenty of winters left in them, and the free cleaning means you don’t have to do anything but drop them off. Cold fronts reach East Texas whether we’re ready or not. Do you have a coat in your closet that could be keeping a kid warm this winter?