Student Council is hosting a coat drive in the foyer of the high school for children in need. The coats will be given to children in the Trunk or Treat event on October 30 from 6-8pm at the First United Methodist Church. 

“We were approached by the Methodist church in town,” Student Council sponsor Dare Kirklin said. “They are collecting coats for children in our area, [and] they are giving these out at their trunk or treat. They approached us to get the word out in [the] high school.” 

While the event runs in the high school, the coat drive is also in all campuses. Every campus will have a yellow box with an opening at the top for students to donate gently used or unwanted coats. 

“We take the coats to Lindale Cleaners, and they clean them for us for free,” Kirklin said. “The United Methodist Church gets them, [and] as long as supplies last, [they will help as] many kids they can service. We didn’t do this last year, so we are hoping for 50 [coats].”

The coat drive began September 23 and will last until October 15, and any student is welcome to donate. At the trunk and treat event, any child under 12 will need a parent or guardian present to receive a coat. 

“We do it in late September [and] early October in order to get the coats before the weather gets too harsh,” Wake Thrasher-Evers, Student Council vice president, said. “These kids need coats, and [they] shouldn’t go cold because their parents make less money than others. They’re people too.”