Thank you for making One Warm Coat’s 2023-24 fiscal year a success!
- 3,803 coat drives in communities across all 50 states
- 503,527 coats distributed to children and adults in need
- 1,500 nonprofit partner organizations
- 30,507 new outerwear items received through the Zero Waste Initiative
- 1.25 million pounds of textiles kept out of landfills
Our Values
Shelter from the elements is a basic human need along with nourishing food, drinkable water, and a safe place to sleep.
At One Warm Coat…
We believe
in the basic right to protection from the cold.
We provide
coats to people in need, free of charge and without discrimination or obligation.
We treat
the people we serve with dignity and respect.
We promote
sustainability through the reuse and repurposing of outerwear.
We create
connections in local communities by fostering volunteerism.
We appreciate
and honor our volunteers and donors.
Coat Drive Program
One Warm Coat helps individuals and organizations across the country hold coat drives. The coats collected are then distributed to people in need through One Warm Coat’s extensive network of local nonprofit organizations.
Last year, 3306 volunteers and 497 retail locations held coat drives, collecting 496,933 coats for individuals and families in local communities across the country!
This year, One Warm Coat launched the inaugural Coat Drive Program Awards to give special recognition to coat drive organizers who go above and beyond . . .
Impact Award: Most Coats Collected
Our friends at Lands’ End collected an amazing 9,285 coats during their 4th annual nationwide coat drive! Lands’ End and their generous customers shared warmth with thousands of people while keeping 23,212 pounds of clothing out of landfills!
Prep for Success Award
Randy Brochu & Whitsons Culinary Group have held One Warm Coat drives for the past two years. The Whitsons Team loves that even though they’re located in different communities across the country, they can work together to help people stay warm during the winter.
Youth Service Award
Hannah R., a 12th grader from Atlanta, GA, collected 78 coats during her first coat drive! Hannah’s secret to success was to spread the word about her coat drive through conversations, social media, and posters! Hannah said her favorite part of the coat drive was the support she received from her community. She said “it brings me so much joy to see selfless individuals donate to a good cause and change the lives of so many people in need.”
Impact Award: Biggest Team
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), led by Melissa-Anne Duncan, hosted an industry-wide coat drive. More than 50 offices across the country joined forces, sharing warmth with 2,300 people and keeping more than 5,000 lbs of clothing out of landfills.
Connectivity Award
AJ Tarrant & The East Bay Regional Park District Fire Department in East Bay, CA, collected nearly 400 coats for their community by teaming up with multiple city and nonprofit organizations. AJ shared that Fire and EMS agencies are often called to respond to environmental and hypothermia emergencies. The need for coats that AJ and his fellow firefighters have seen fueled their passion to host a drive.
Bright Idea Award
To promote their 6th annual coat drive, the Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd. purchased space on an electronic billboard along a major highway in the Chicago suburbs! They collected 73 coats for local nonprofit Partners for Our Communities in Palatine, IL.
Golden Apple Award
The Future Business Leaders of America at Millburn High School in Millburn, NJ, are invested in making a difference in the lives of others. Led by President Jake S. they shared the coats, winter gloves, hats, and scarves they collected with local nonprofit Human Needs Food Pantry.
Distinguished Volunteer Award 2023: Janet Y. Kaplan
The inaugural Distinguished Volunteer Award was presented to National Founder Sherri Wood in 2022 during One Warm Coat’s 30th anniversary celebration.
This year the One Warm Coat team was thrilled to present the award to Janet Kaplan. Janet has been organizing a coat drive with her synagogue, Temple Beth Ahm of Aberdeen, since 2013, collecting more than 11,000 coats!
Read more about how Janet has shared warmth, here.
Nonprofit Partner Network
One Warm Coat shares warmth with people in need through a network of more than 1,500 local nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. Any 501c3 organization or school is eligible to receive free coats as long it is in good standing with the IRS and signs a commitment to give the coats away for free and without discrimination. One Warm Coat provides warmth for our nonprofit partners’ clients, enabling them to direct their valuable resources towards their primary mission.
Each spring, One Warm Coat surveys our nonprofit partners to better understand their needs and how we can help. This spring, our partners reported that there is a great and growing demand for warmth:
- 85% of respondents reported that they saw an increase in need this year
- 59% of respondents reported that they did not receive enough coats to provide warmth for all of their clients
We’re proud to shine a spotlight on just a few of our amazing nonprofit partner organizations:
First Choice Primary Care
Macon, GA
“Thanks to the support of One Warm Coat’s donors, we were able to provide warmth and comfort to hundreds of individuals in our community who were in need.
These contributions not only helped protect against the winter chill but also brought hope and joy to many lives. The smiles on the faces of those who received a coat were a testament to the difference you made.“
CityTeam Ministries
Oakland,CA
“One Warm Coat is amazing! We rely on clothing donations from individuals as well as companies to help us meet the immediate needs of our neighbors in need. However, while we receive some clothing, coats are almost impossible to come by. It is really hard to tell a child we don’t have something warm for them to wear in the winter or to tell a struggling parent we can’t help them provide for their child(ren)’s basic necessities. One Warm Coat has come to our rescue to help us meet these needs for many struggling families by connecting us with Coat Drive Organizers and we are able to distribute those coats to many in need.”
Learning In Style School
Minneapolis, MN
“I represent a school for adult English learners from around the world. Imagine being a newcomer from a warm (even hot!) climate, arriving in Minneapolis in the middle of January, with not only yourself to keep warm, but other family members, as well. This happens every year at our school. We are so grateful to One Warm Coat, for connecting our school with generous coat donations for our students. The care of OWC and the quality of these donations offer our hard-working students safety, dignity, and peace of mind, letting them focus on the important work of acclimating to a new place and community.“
Spring Creek High School
Brooklyn NY.
“Many of our students were in great need due to financial struggles, living in shelters, being homeless and having limited income. They were so excited to receive coats! The coats from One Warm Coat blessed 200 families and for that we are so grateful.”
Mercy Truck
Bensalem, PA
“This was Mercy Truck’s first year working with One Warm Coat to receive and distribute coats, what an amazing opportunity! We received coats for adults and children. The coats were new or in excellent condition. We partnered with the Philadelphia Police Department for their “shop with a cop” which was a December outreach to families and children. “
New Jersey Reentry Corporation
Kearny, NJ
“On behalf of Gov. Jim McGreevey and NJ Reentry Corp., we wanted to take this moment to express our sincere gratitude for your extremely generous coat donations. The coats were distributed to our clients at all 10 Reentry sites. Your contribution has helped Reentry participants, receive much-needed clothing and this has allowed them to feel more confident and presentable. We are truly honored by your commitment to making a difference in the lives of those affected by the challenges of reentering society. Your donation is an investment in the future of our participants and our community and for this, we are most grateful.“
Zero Waste Initiative
The Zero Waste Initiative offers an environmentally conscious solution to retailers and manufacturers with overstock, irregular, and sample outerwear that cannot be sold. Through the Zero Waste Initiative, One Warm Coat provides an eco-friendly alternative to adding textile items to the landfill, and gives the outerwear directly to our nonprofit partner organizations. The nonprofit organizations then distribute the outerwear items to children and adults in need across the United States and Canada.
Last year, 21 companies donated 5,824 coats and nearly 25,000 other new outerwear items through the Zero Waste Initiative.
ZWI In The News
Environmental Sustainability
As global concern about textile waste and sustainable practices continues to grow, One Warm Coat is proud to be part of the solution, offering a nationwide option for fashion circularity with programs that reduce waste and maximize the lifespan of outerwear.
Since 1992, One Warm Coat’s programs have provided warmth to people in need while promoting environmental sustainability and keeping more than 20 million pounds of textiles out of landfills.
One Warm Coat names ReTold Recycling as Official Textile Recycling Partner
One Warm Coat has teamed up with Retold Recycling as our official recycling partner! When coats have holes or stains, or just aren’t suitable for re-wear, Retold will take them and ensure they don’t end up in a landfill. We’re so happy to work with Retold to provide a textile recycling resource for our Coat Drive Ambassadors.
Crisis Coat Fund
Through the Crisis Coat Fund, One Warm Coat is able to provide coats for a specific geographic area or local nonprofit partner by purchasing coats at wholesale prices
Last year, 12 donors provided nearly 800 new coats through the Crisis Coat Fund.
One of this year’s Crisis Coat Fund donors was Naz Reid, NBA player with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Naz teamed up with One Warm Coat to purchase coats for children at the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown of Monmouth City, New Jersey.
ONE WARM COAT RESPONDS TO URGENT REQUEST FROM THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Last fall, the Chicago Mayor’s office reached out to One Warm Coat with a plea for warm items for migrant families arriving in Chicago, as well as thousands of Chicago residents experiencing homelessness.
A 2023 study by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless reported that more than 68,000 Chicagoans were unhoused. In addition, the City of Chicago has welcomed more than 36,000 asylum-seekers since August 2022.
In advance of Chicago’s extreme winter climate, the City launched a collaborative humanitarian effort and One Warm Coat emerged as a leader in the initiative, providing coats, guidance, and tech support:
- Collaborated with local nonprofit Cradles to Crayons to add more than 50 coat drop off locations throughout Chicago to the Coat Drive Map, making it easy for Chicagoans to donate new and gently worn coats for their neighbors in need.
- Purchased 350 coats with financial donations made to the Crisis Coat Fund.
- Provided more than $170,000 worth of new outerwear items through the Zero Waste Initiative
Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago, said:
“Your support played a pivotal role in providing essential resources and I want to thank you for your invaluable contribution which became a beacon of hope and demonstration of collective effort and shared responsibility for a better, stronger, and safer Chicago.”
Chicago Relief In The News
Corporate Sponsors
Corporate and foundation contributions are critical to carry out One Warm Coat’s mission: to provide free coats to children and adults in need while promoting volunteerism and environmental sustainability. We are grateful for these purpose-driven companies for their engagement and support.
20+ Years of Sharing Warmth Together
KTVU Fox2 in the San Francisco Bay Area has been teaming up with One Warm Coat to share warmth for more than 20 years. Along with partners Big O Tires and the UPS Store, they have collected more than 348,000 coats for local residents in need.
Financial Highlights
Financial highlights are preliminary until our voluntary annual audit is complete in June 2024.
Summary of Donations
| In-Kind Contributions | $4,080,851.84 |
| Corporate & Foundation Contributions | $510,889.94 |
| Individual Contributions | $314,066.32 |
| Other Revenue | $4,407.65 |
Total Revenue: $4,910,215.75
Summary of Expenses
| Program | $4,536,918.84 |
| Development | $157,801.62 |
| Administrative | $131,409.55 |
Total Expenses: $4,826,130.01
Click here to view One Warm Coat’s most recent 990.