Valley residents show lots of support at annual Pumpkin Patch Charity Coat Drive

WASILL A— A large amount of Valley residents cycled through Primelending’s annual Pumpkin Patch Charity Coat Drive on Friday, donating over 300 coats to the Mat-Su Salvation Army who’ll distribute them to local children and teens in need.

“The response has been really good, a really good turn out,” Mat-Su Valley Salvation Army Corps Officer, Major Kevin E. Bottjen said.

Each year, Primelending offers the community a chance to pick out their holiday pumpkins for a good cause. In exchange for a donation, local families were able to bring their children to the pop up pumpkin patch outside Primlending’s office.

There were multiple food trucks onsite, including Waffles and Whatnot.

Event organizer Cherish Williams said they gave out over 150 pumpkins, with about 15 left over. She said those will go to the Salvation Army’s food pantry.

“So people who weren’t expecting to have a pumpkin can have a pumpkin,” Williams said.

Local mother Templar Wilson said that she looked through her house after finding out about the drive. She brought in numerous unused coats to donate. Her children quickly set out to pick their pumpkins.

“It’s really cool. It’s a neat thing for the community, especially with everything that’s going on right now,” Wilson said. “People are still willing to give back and help others.”

According to Williams, people started showing up with coats before the event even started. She said that ended up with 60 coats by the time they began.

“It was way more successful than we thought it would be for 2020,” Williams with laugh. “Super excited for the community support. We’re just feeling blessed. Everyone came together.”

Bottjen said this was his first time attending the coat drive, and he had a blast. He said it add to positive momentum to the Salvation Army’s ongoing efforts to meet an ever rising need affected by COVID-19.

The Salvation Army’s next big event is Valley Blessing, an annual food box giveaway set on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

“We’re gonna need a lot more volunteers,” Bottjen said.

As the holiday season ramps up, so does the overall demand for food assistance and other services. Bottjen said the current situation is causing them to expect a huge increase in applications for food and Christmas gifts due to pandemic.

He said they’re currently seeking volunteers and even paid positions for the holiday season, including bell ringers at local stores.

“There’s lots of opportunities to give back during the holidays… Now is the time to sign up,” Bottjen said.

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

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