Coats needed for children

As temperatures drop in Carson City, the need of its children rises.

"There is a big need this year," said Peggy Sweetland, special projects coordinator for the Carson City School District. "The phone is really starting to ring off the wall for kids who need coats, and we don't have any."

Sweetland added the district's Children in Transition program to her list of duties this year, and has made some significant changes.

Traditionally, the district has kept a Clothes Closet for students who qualify for the program, meaning they live in campgrounds, motels, with extended family members or double up with other families in one residence.

However, Sweetland said, the storage room for the clothing and other supplies became too cluttered and disorganized to run efficiently.

"It was just a congested environment and not healthy," she said.

Instead, she will collect specific items of clothing based on the needs of individual students and deliver the supplies to the students' schools.

"We've cleaned it, painted it, and replaced second-hand clothing with new stuff," Sweetland said. "This is the beginning of a revamp of the Children in Transition program."

She said 170 children in the school district qualify for the program, and more are being identified as time goes on.

Coats of all sizes from pre-kindergarten to adult are needed.

"I think it's going to be a cold year," she said. "If they have a coat and are able to walk to school and stay warm, they're able to concentrate. If they're chilly or freezing, their minds will be somewhere else."

Coats can be dropped off

8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday until Dec. 10 at 604 W. Musser St. or at 1446 Parkland Ave.

For more information or to drop off coats after hours, call Sweetland at 283-1537.