Coats of Friendship to Distribute 3,000 Coats 2018-19 Winter

Coats of Friendship — a non-profit organization created in Southern York County School District by Friendship Elementary School students in 2014 to make our community a warmer place by doing things for people in need — has a goal of distributing 3,000 coats this 2018-19 winter season.

Operated by a board of empowered students ages 8 through 12, the group has already distributed 2,300 coats this season as of Jan. 1, with its major community-wide outreach in York City during Thanksgiving weekend.

Their efforts have grown exponentially since their first coat drive, distributing 85 coats in 2015, 705 in 2016, 2,500 in 2017, and close to surpassing that this winter season as the clever team of students have established three permanent coat racks to follow its big distribution event Thanksgiving weekend at:
Next Door (200 coats): 160 South George St., York
The Rase Project (50 coats) & Adler Health Services (125 coats): 100 N Cameron St # 401, Harrisburg

The students of SYCSD are not only using their critical thinking skills to determine how to help our neighbors, develop a non-profit organization and manage it, but also empower those around them to work together for a shared goal — the health, safety and success of everyone in our community!

Imagine, in 2017 the group’s founder, and CEO/President Tristan Rankin, 9 years old at the time, wrote and won a $2,500 Community Grant from Walmart, Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania.

The group collects coats throughout the year, often found at major community festivals and fairs, and with permanent drop-off locations at York College Student Union lobby and York College West Campus Community Center.

For more information visit: https://coatsoffriendship.wixsite.com/website or https://www.facebook.com/coatsoffriendship/.