coat drive
Featured Local News

Welcome Baby Durham To Host Annual Coat Drive Beginning Nov. 15

@SpectacularMag

Durham, N.C. – Welcome Baby Durham will host its 9th annual coat drive from November 15, 2021, through January 7, 2022. There are six drop-off locations around the Durham community where gently used and new children’s coats sizes newborn to 7/8 will be accepted. Donated coats should be freshly washed and dried before dropping them off at one of the following collection locations: 

  • Durham County Cooperative Extension (Welcome Baby) 721 Foster St.
  • Durham County North Regional Library: 221 Milton Rd.
  • Durham County South Regional Library: 4505 S. Alston Ave.
  • Durham County East Regional Library: 211 Lick Creek Ln.
  • Durham County Bragtown Branch Library: 3200 Dearborn Dr.
  • Durham County Main Library: 300 N. Roxboro Rd.

Collection times are based upon the hours of the Durham County Library locations which can be found at www.durhamcountylibrary.org. Items can be dropped off at the Welcome Baby Program location Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

coat drive
Welcome Baby Durham Program Director Patience Mukelabai (far right) and her team have created a plan that will allow them to continue to serve their community in the safest way possible. (via website)

Welcome Baby Durham, a program of the Durham County Cooperative Extension supported by funds from Durham County Government and Durham’s Partnership for Children a Smart Start Initiative, works to provide clothing, diapers, car seats, cribs, and educational classes. The program services almost 2,000 families a year in the Durham area with children under the age of five. The annual coat drive typically collects 250 coats to distribute to clientele.

“Welcome Baby is thrilled to be able to hold the annual coat drive this year,” says Program Director, Patience Mukelabai. “We had to make special efforts this season to put the event on for the community with the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. Thankfully, our wonderful team was able to create a plan that will allow us to continue to serve our community in the safest way possible.”

Welcome Baby Durham continues to distribute donations to the families amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a new series of policies and procedures that align with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

For more information about Welcome Baby Durham and this year’s coat drive, contact Mukelabai at 919-560-7392 or at pmukelabai@dconc.gov.