Salvation Army Seeks Coats for Needy Children

Thinking about throwing away your child’s out-of-style or outgrown coat?

Don’t, pleads Jay Saltzman, president of the Woodland Hills Rotary Club, which is co-sponsoring the third annual “Coats for Kids” project with the Salvation Army.

Through Nov. 3, the Salvation Army facility in Canoga Park will be collecting used children’s coats and jackets which will be distributed to children attending schools in the Valley, Saltzman said.

“The children who are without coats, and there are many, will have coats for the winter,” Saltzman said.

As of Monday, about 1,700 coats had been donated by 41 Valley-area elementary, middle and high schools that are taking part in school-wide collections, he added. Deadline for the participating schools to donate garments is Wednesday.

“Overall, we expect to collect more than 2,500 coats,” Saltzman said. Last year, about 1,800 garments were collected, he added.

Capt. James Sloan, administrator for the Salvation Army’s Canoga Park facility, said the coats will be distributed beginning Nov. 4 to the following schools: Reseda Elementary, Vanalden Elementary and Aliso High School in Reseda, Maggy Haves Preschool in North Hollywood; Lassen Elementary and Langdon Elementary in North Hills, Welby Way Elementary in West Hills, Winnetka Avenue Elementary in West Hills and Holmes Middle School in Northridge.

Additional coat donations may be dropped off at the facility at 21375 Roscoe Blvd.

For more information call the Rotary Club at (818) 344-5776 or the Salvation Army at (818) 883-6321.