The Salvation Army and ‘Give A Kid A Coat’ bring warmth, meet winter needs

By: Brad Rowland

Since 1969, ‘A Cleaner World’ has strived to give back to the community through service and outreach. First established in High Point, N.C. and focused on the Piedmont Triad, A Cleaner World’s reach has expanded to 27 dry cleaning locations, setting the stage for the expansion of the company’s “Give A Kid A Coat” campaign. The campaign, which collects coats for families in need, celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2022, and The Salvation Army partnered with A Cleaner World to meet local need.

The 2022 edition of “Give A Kid A Coat” collected more than 22,000 coats from Jan. 7, 2022 through Feb. 12, 2022, with more 10,518 collected in Guilford County, 8,234 collected in Forsyth County, 2,347 collected in Alamance County, and more than 1,000 coats collected outside the Piedmont Triad. The drive benefitted several communities and Salvation Army units, with Guilford County including the cities of Greensboro and High Point, Forsyth County including Winston-Salem, and Alamance County including Burlington.

"It's encouraging to see our community step up to the plate in the last week of this year's campaign,” said Chris Edwards, President of A Cleaner World. "The Salvation Army, Fox8, 1075KZL, Rock92, AAA Self Storage, and all of the employees at A Cleaner World sincerely thank you for making this a win for the children of our area."

Coats are gathered through donations, then both cleaned and pressed by A Cleaner World. From there, the coats are distributed to the community through The Salvation Army and its family stores. A Cleaner World also performs minor repairs to used coats before delivery to The Salvation Army.

"For decades, ‘A Cleaner World’ has put the community at the forefront of their business,” said Lt. Chris Raymer, corps officer for The Salvation Army of Greensboro. “I sleep better at night knowing that children won't be cold waiting on the bus or that men and women will have the opportunity to come into our stores and grab a freshly cleaned jacket at no charge. We are incredibly grateful to our community of supporters and for the outpouring of love shown to their neighbors in need this winter and beyond."

Those in need may continue to contact local Salvation Army units for additional information. Individuals may also continue to donate financially to Give A Kid A Coat by visiting this link, with donations used to purchase coats in specially needed sizes.