From left to right: Glen Gantefoer (Board Chairperson), Adrienne Welter (Board Vice-Chairperson), Merv Welter (Treasurer Council 2094), Tom Schwab (District Deputy & Financial Secretary Council 2094), and John Vany (Grand Knight Council 2094) (supplied photo/Ramona Stillar)

By Keaton Brown

Coats for kids

Knights of Columbus Council 2094 celebrate tenth anniversary of Coats for Kids by donating 156 coats

Jan 22, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The bitterly cold weather the Battlefords area had last week served as a harsh reminder about the realities of living in Saskatchewan. Families who are struggling to make ends meet cannot always afford a new winter coat.

The goal of the Knights of Columbus (KoC) Faith in Action – Coats for Kids program is to ensure that no child goes without a coat during the winter season.

For the last ten years, the KoC Council 2094 in North Battleford has purchased new winter coats for children in Light of Christ Catholic Schools (LOCCS).

Merv Welter, KoC Council 2094 treasurer, said he did not understand how much demand there was for winter coats for underprivileged children until they started running the program.

“I was somewhat surprised, I live in my own little world here. I taught school at Battleford junior high most of my career and it never seemed to be a problem until we brought it up with a few principals and they said they could really use them,” he said.

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Earlier this year, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Office announced its intention to celebrate 10 years of the Coats for Kids program by providing one million coats to kids across North America.

The KoC Council 2094 saw an opportunity for the Supreme Office to subsidize their program and purchased double the amount of coats this year as compared to previous years. In total 156 coats were donated to the LOCCS for distribution to students.

The coats are all brand new and come in various sizes and colours.

Welter said the reward for their charitable work is the feeling they get knowing they’ve helped a child in need.

“You feel good when you help a kid who doesn’t have a coat get a coat. Especially in the climate we have in Saskatchewan and the week we had last week,” he said. “Every once and a while it is good to have a reminder that these things still are needed,” he added.

A majority of the coats have already been distributed to students at Holy Family and St. Mary schools. The remaining coats have been donated to the LOCCS for distribution to more students as needed.

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Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow