A program for collecting and distributing coats to children and families is well underway in the Central Valley. Locally, the Los Banos office of Century 21 will be a collection point for Coats For Kids, a program aimed at making things a little better for those in need.

"It's hard to believe that this will be the 19th year that the community has come together for the annual Coats for Kids coat drive" proclaims the ABC News 10 website. According to the News 10 site, "It's time again when News10, Swansons Cleaners, Tri Counties Bank, and the Salvation Army ask for your help in keeping families warm this winter by donating to News10's Coats for Kids. It's easy to be a hero! Just clean out those closets and donate new or gently used coats to our program! We do accept coats of all sizes. Thanks to your generosity, we have collected and distributed over 440,000 coats to children and families in need over the past 18 years."

In Los Banos, the program is rapidly ramping up and donations have already started coming in. At the November fourth Los Banos city council meeting Geneva Brett, the President of the Los Banos Chamber of Commerce and a local Century 21 Realtor, spoke noting that, "Valley children are some of the toughest hit in tough times..." She continued "...and we know how cold it gets here. So we're a drop off at 923 East Pacheco Suite A - under the biggest American flag in town." Geneva also mentioned that Century 21 M&M and Associates was donating incentive prizes to help make the Coats For Kids event a success. "For every coat that anyone brings in, gently worn or new, of any size, you will get one of these little tickets." Geneva said as she held a small greenish ticket aloft. Ms. Brett continued, "On December twenty-first at Arco Arena my company will draw three tickets. The third place winner will win one hundred fifty dollars, second place will win two hundred fifty dollars, and the grand prize [winner] will win a grand. - So imagine that - you are helping keep one of our Los Banos children warm and you could win a thousand dollars for you, yourself, your family or donate back to Coats For Kids - whatever pleases your little heart."

Donations have already started to come in. On the morning of November fifth I dropped off three coats myself and while I was there Jeanette King, another Century 21 realtor, grinned broadly as Maria Pina (who is a realtor with Coldwell Banker and the owner of Johnie's Cleaners) brought in a large sturdy metal clothing rack to be used during the collection process. It is hoped that Los Banos community members will donate enough coats to fill that rack many times over before the coats are packed up and sent on to warm the final recipients.

Coat donations will be accepted at the M&M office from now until December eighteenth and it is anticipated that there will also be other donation points set up in Los Banos at various locations and at various churches.

For more details, check out the News 10 Coats For Kids website at http://www.news10.net/life/community/events/coats-for-kids/coats-main-full.aspx or you can call News 10's Coats For Kids Information Line at (916) 321-3362 or Century 21 M&M and Associates of Los Banos at (209) 827-3434.

If everyone in Los Banos would just take 1 or 2 hours a month to do something to help their neighborhood or their community we could truly make Los Banos the gem of the valley.

The above is only my personal opinion and I strongly encourage readers to seek out more information from expert sources. Copyright 2009