Because of this, a group of students at Blaine High School are taking part in the annual Coats for Kids charity to make sure everyone has proper winter clothing.
“We’ve been doing this for 32 years,” said Holly Boisjolie, a Blaine HS teacher.
Once again Bengal students are collecting coats to make sure that no one goes through a frigid Minnesota winter without a cold-weather jacket.
“The need is greater than ever,” Boisjolie said. “They donate every single coat at Pilgrim that is brought in. Our goal is just to make sure we can help as many students, kids and families that don’t have the means to get coats this winter because we have some pretty cold winters. It’s nice for us to be able to give back to the community.”
“I like being involved because it really gets a lot of people going in the community,” said Blaine student Sarah Mishkulin. “Get together. Ring people’s door bells. It’s all for a really great cause. The winters get really, really chilly here and knowing that you’re helping a kid get warm this winter means a lot.”
These concerned and caring students want to give back. They can’t fathom someone going through winter without a coat.
“I really could not,” said Jannah Salama, a student at Blaine. “It’s an unfortunate reality but there are really high rates of homelessness especially in the Twin Cities so there are a lot of people in need of coats this winter – especially in Minnesota we have some harsh winters. I really just couldn’t imagine not having one.”
“I think it’s supposed to be a pretty chilly winter,” Mishkulin said. “It would be pretty sucky if no one had a a coat.”
Hustling for coats
The coat collection runs through mid-November. Everyone connected with this charity effort is hoping for a strong finish.
“We currently have 412 coats,” Boisjolie said. “Our goal was set at 600 and we still have a couple weeks left to kind of get people to bring in their coats of all sizes.”
Said Mishkulin: “Honestly I think if a lot of people got more involved and went through their neighborhoods we could easily get to a thousand.”
Getting people to donate means putting in some sweat equity – which these students definitely are doing as they continue to hustle for coats.
“They go to different neighborhoods,” Boisjolie said. “They promote it at their churches and mosques. We had a partnership with a coffee shop as well. Their apartment buildings. They really try hard to get as many coats as they can.”
“Me and my classmates went out to neighborhoods,” Salama said. “We talked to a lot of people about collecting coats. We’ve had a great time doing it.”
The coat donation ends on November 14th and the jackets can be dropped off at Blaine High School’s main entrance, or in the athletic center if you’re going to an after school event.
