Welcome Baby Kicks Off 12th Annual Winter Coat Drive for Durham’s Youth
DURHAM, NC — Welcome Baby, a program dedicated to supporting Durham’s young families, is launching its 12th annual coat drive. The team aims to collect and distribute 1,200 coats to Durham County’s children in need. Last year’s drive hit a record, collecting over 1,000 coats for distribution, and this year, the team hopes to exceed that milestone.
Community members are encouraged to donate gently used or new coats for children, from newborns to age 8, to be collected from Monday, November 18, 2024, until Friday, January 10, 2025. “We started this coat drive in 2012 with a modest goal of 200 coats. Reaching 1,000 last year shows both the growth of Welcome Baby and the overwhelming generosity of our community,” said Patience Mukelabai, Director of Welcome Baby.
Drop-off Locations
Donated coats should be freshly cleaned before being dropped off at the following locations:
- Durham County Cooperative Extension (Welcome Baby office): 721 Foster St.
- Durham County North Regional Library: 221 Milton Rd.
- Durham County South Regional Library: 4505 S. Alston Ave.
- Durham County Southwest Regional Library: 3605 Shannon Rd.
- Durham County East Regional Library: 211 Lick Creek Ln.
- Durham County Main Library: 300 N. Roxboro Rd.
Each library’s hours vary; check DurhamCountyLibrary.org for details. The Welcome Baby office accepts drop-offs Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Updates are available on Welcome Baby’s Facebook and Instagram.
Welcome Baby, part of Durham County Cooperative Extension, supports families with children under five by providing essential items like clothing, diapers, car seats, and positive parenting classes. It serves nearly 2,000 families annually. The coats will be distributed through Welcome Baby’s Giving Closet.
If you are interested in hosting a mini coat drive or setting up a drop-off location, contact Cindy Riley at 919-560-7319 or ckriley@dconc.gov. Learn more at WelcomeBaby.org.