Keeping Our Community Warm This Winter

United Way Peterborough & District has teamed up with Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) to expand the reach of the long-standing Coats for Community initiative. This winter clothing program aims to ensure that EVERY community member in need stays warm during the cold months.

How to Donate to Coats for Community 2024

If you want to help make a difference this winter, consider donating your new or gently used winter coats, snow pants, hats, and mittens. PATH will be accepting donations at 385 Lansdowne Street East on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9AM to 3PM.

How to Access Winter Gear

The coats and other winter items donated by the community will be distributed to local agencies and groups throughout Peterborough. United Way Peterborough & District will be inviting local agencies to pick up winter gear on behalf of their clients and neighbours in need. PATH will then coordinate the distribution directly with the agencies throughout the winter, ensuring that people can receive what they need to protect themselves in the coldest months of the year.

Where to pick up a winter coat:

Good Neighbours

164 Sherbrooke Street – Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10AM – 2PM (ID required)

TRACKS Youth Program

Environmental Science Centre at Trent University – 1600 West Bank Drive (Ground Floor, Office B106) – Tuesday, Thursday from 9AM – 3PM

Check back often as we will continue to update this webpage with locations that are available to the public. If you currently access social services, ask your provider if they have any coats available for their clients.

A Stronger Partnership for Greater Impact

“This partnership allows us to meet people where they are at by distributing directly to service providers throughout Peterborough,” said Jim Russell, CEO of United Way Peterborough & District. “We’re excited to expand our Coats for Community program and strengthen our ability to collect and distribute winter gear to those who need it most.”

Bev Assinck, PATH volunteer and Board member, echoed this enthusiasm: “While we can’t offer sleeping cabins for warmth this winter, our collaboration with United Way will help keep people warmer by distributing much-needed winter gear.”

A Legacy of Giving: Coats for Community

For nearly four decades, United Way Peterborough & District has been organizing the annual Coats for Community winter clothing drive, collecting and distributing tens of thousands of winter garments. Last year alone, the generosity of Peterborough residents led to the donation of 1,844 coats and 1,272 mitts and hats, providing warmth to over 500 individuals.

With the demand for winter gear increasing each year, this new partnership with PATH will allow the program to reach even more people who need help staying warm during the winter months.

PATH’s Role: The Community Clothing Hub

PATH has created a strong clothing and essential items donation program called the Community Clothing Hub, which supports agencies like:

One City Peterborough
Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough
YES Shelter for Youth & Families

This program, initially developed by Elizabeth Fry Society and PATH with United Way funding in 2022/2023, has grown into a vital part of the community. Volunteers at the PATH location (385 Lansdowne Street East) accept clothing donations, clean, mend, and sort the items, and distribute them to frontline service providers.

Items not suitable for those experiencing homelessness, such as formal wear or designer clothing, are donated by PATH to Vinnie’s – St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store to benefit community programs and local causes.

2023 Coats for our Community

Thank You!

Your generous donations, to our 2023 Coats for our Community initiative allowed 527 people to come into the beautiful, centrally located space donated by Murray Streeet Baptist Church on Saturday, November 4th to select the winter coats, snowpants and accessories they needed to keep their families warm this winter!

A total of 1844 coats, jackets, snowpants and winter wear were distributed locally along with 1272 handknit mittens, hats and accessories generously provided by the Mitts for Kids volunteer knitters!

We want to send a special thank you to St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores in Peterborough and Lakefield, for once again, sharing their space for our 2023 collection, Global Point Logistics for their amazing storage facility and truck rental, PVNC Catholic District School Board and Windsor’s Dry Cleaners who volunteered to be a community collection point in the month leading up to our collection weekend and to IG Wealth Management, St. Anne’s School, St. Paul’s in Lakefield and Suzi Home Maker who coordinated staff collection drives to drop off!

A huge thank you to the Mitts for Kids knitters who distributed a record number of warm, made with love accessories:

Ennismore Senior Knitting Club

Carole Berry

Jean Cameron

Linda Chopping

Lynn Creech

Karen Drinkwalter

Debbie East

Carey Hogan

Paulette Packingham

Jill Smallwood

Margaret Tippett

Janet Twigg

We truly live in a generous community!

For information on how you can help, please contact our Director of Community Impact, Betsy MacDonald