Coats For Kids
The Knights of Columbus San Salvador Council #283, in conjunction with our partner schools and ministries in South Philadelphia, are raising money to purchase much needed winter coats and other cold weather gear for the children under the care of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in the Kensington area of Philadelphia.
Who receives the coats?
Our ministry partners, parishes and educators throughout South Philadelphia and the city at large do incredible work identifying and providing for the needs of those most impacted by poverty and tragedy. The Knights of Columbus work wherever we can to support them in their missions, serving on the front lines of our society those most in need in our community. In particular the children of Philadelphia.
Over the past few years we have continued to grow this drive, enabling us to provide for more and more children in need in our city. We have forged partnerships with our parishes, schools, Catholic ministries and community programs to identify children who need winter coats and cold weather gear, and deliver those items quickly ahead of the cold months. Our South Philadelphia parishes in particular serve a vital role in the distribution of the coats to our neighborhood children in need.
In addition to those we serve in our South Philadelphia community we are also able to continue to supply requests made by our partners at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center and St. Francis Inn in Kensington.
Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center
Our Mission: In the just and compassionate spirit of Saint Joseph, The Welcome Center offers opportunities that enable immigrants and others to improve the quality of their lives through access to education, support services and programs leading to self-sufficiency.
We provide a safe space for people of diverse backgrounds to come together.
Our goal is to minister to families...to help mom and dad learn English and pursue the opportunity for naturalization. It is all about their family...English so that they can help their children in school, with medical issues etc. Many families struggle financially so if we can help during the winter to provide warm jackets for them, we and they are grateful.
History of Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center:
In 2002, we opened our doors in Kensington to serve and help meet the growing needs of the immigrant community. Rooted in the mission "to live and work so that all may be united with God and with one another", the Welcome Center continues to provide educational programs, support services and advocacy for our newest neighbors.
Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center
Saint Francis Inn - Kensington
Our Mission: We are a Franciscan, Eucharistic community called to minister with the poor and homeless of Philadelphia. Formed in the spirit of the Gospel and inspired by the life and compassion of Francis and Clare of Assisi, we try to meet the immediate daily needs of the people we serve with food, clothing and hospitality.
Furthermore, we empower persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty and address structural injustices. We seek to build relationships with those whom we serve by respecting their human dignity, by helping them to restore hope in their lives, and by living simply among them.
What is the Coats for Kids program?
Did you know that many children throughout the United States and Canada go without a coat each winter?
Low-income families use their scarce resources to meet the most basic needs and cannot always afford this vital winter necessity.
That’s why the Knights of Columbus developed the Coats for Kids program, which allows councils across North America the opportunity to put their faith into action and purchase new winter coats at a discount for children in need in their communities.
More than 1,000,000 new winter coats have been distributed throughout the United States and Canada since the program began in 2009.
This program’s primary goal is to help kids stay warm in the winter when a child’s family does not have the resources to adequately meet this need. A warm coat means a child can more realistically attend school, go to after-school programs, fit in with other children, play and do all the things that kids do to be kids. In a very real sense, a warm winter coat means mobility. Our mission is to make this seemingly small part of life a little bit easier for these families.
Pictures from last year
