Salvation Army hosting annual coat giveaway

WASILLA — The Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley Corps is hosting an annual coat giveaway Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This event is on a first come, first serve basis and open to all ages. While the focus is mainly on coats, there will also be several hats, gloves and other clothing items available.

Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley Corps officer, Major Kevin Bottjen encourages anyone seeking warm coats for the upcoming winter to stop by. He said there are no eligibility requirements and everyone is welcome.

“If they’re in need, they can come,” Bottjen said. “Hopefully it will help their winter dollars stretch further.”

This is the third year the Mat-Su Salvation Army has hosted this coat drive. Bottjen said they distributed well over 150 coats last year thanks to community donations.

“We want to help,” Bottjen said. “We all outgrow our clothing and Alaska is a cold place. This is another way the community can give back.”

The Salvation Army is actively seeking bell ringers earlier than usual this year to help rally enough volunteers to raise the necessary funds to continue operating and expanding services, according to Bottjen. This is the largest fundraising campaign of the year. He said they lost about 60 percent of their usual donation total last holiday season due to the severe lack of bell ringers.

“That’s pretty significant,” Bottjen said. “We had to really tighten the belts this year so we can keep doing what we’re doing and then some.”

Bottjen said they’re very grateful for the annual support of individuals and groups like the Palmer Lions Club which adopts a location every year. He said that every person that signs up to be a bell ringer and every business or organization that offers their venue as a collection site aids them toward their overall goal.

“I would encourage other service groups to do the same thing. That could significantly impact our efforts,” Bottjen said.

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The Salvation Army is still accepting coat donations. Bottjen noted that they can only accept coat donations at this point and no other clothing items.

For more information, visit mat-suvalley.salvationarmy.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com