OKCPS Foundation kicks off Coat-A-Kid drive distribution

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Hundreds of kids got new coats Monday, all thanks to the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation Coat-A-Kid drive and a generous donation from On-Cue.

Coats of many colors made their way on to the backs of about 300 students at Eugene Field Elementary School Monday morning.

"Even though today is warm outside, the temperature in Oklahoma changes at any given moment,” Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Supt. Dr. Jamie Polk said. “Our students will be ready for their long walks to school."

It’s all thanks to the OKCPS Foundation’s drive and a $10,000 donation from On-Cue. It’s their first distribution of the year with a goal to give out about 6,000 coats across the district before fall break.

"As parents are struggling, families are struggling to make ends meet, this is the thing that they can't always make happen,” foundation president and CEO Mary Mèlon-Tully said. “So, we want our kids to have a new warm winter coat."

Principal of the school Stacy Storey said coats have grown in demand every year with 92 percent of district students living at or below poverty level. Not having coats has also been found as a barrier for coming to class.

"If you have to wait outside for the bus, whether it's freezing temperatures or not, it's hard as a parent to have your child go wait so they choose to keep them at home,” Storey said.

$20 donations buy each coat for the drive, and it goes a long way beyond keeping kids warm.

“This will help with our absenteeism that is a problem,” Storey said.

The OKCPS Foundation has an annual goal to raise $130,000 every year to make sure each student gets a coat. They need a little more than $25,000 to hit that goal. You can donate by clicking the link embedded in this story.