29th annual Coats for Kids campaign underway

The 29^th annual Coats for Kids campaign is under way in Las Cruces.

The goal of this year’s campaign is to provide coats to 3,000 children birth to fifth grade by the week before Thanksgiving, said campaign coordinator Alycia Jameson, who is the owner of D2 Designs Coats for Kids is a partnership among Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico (CAA), 101 Gold, D2 Designs, Comet Cleaners, local Knights of Columbus councils and Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS).

New and gently used coats sizes infant to adult XL can be dropped off at these collection sites:

• Comet Cleaners: 2001 E. Lohman Ave., 555 Utah Ave. and 2497 N. Main Street
• CAA: Community Action Agency, 3880 Foothills Road
• 101 Gold Studios, 101 Perkins Drive
• U.S. Post Office: 310 E. Union Ave. in Mesilla Park
• Firestone Complete Auto Care, 311 S. Main St.
• Holy Family American National Catholic Church, 702 Parker Road
• Santa Rosa de Lima Church, 5035 Holsome Road
• St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church, 100 S. Espina St.
• Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda St.
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 1240 S. Espina St.
• Our Lady of Health Catholic Church, 1178 N. Mesquite St.
• St Albert the Great Newman Center, 2615 S. Solano Drive
• Our Lady of Purification Church, 5525 Cristo Rey St., Doña Ana
• Basilica of San Albino, 2280 Calle de Principal, Mesilla.

Coats for Kids held its first $101 challenge Sept. 8 at Comet Cleaners, 2001 E. Lohman Ave. It included Stitch from the movie “Lilo & Stitch,” and E-Mazing Characters of Las Cruces.

“Knights of Columbus helped collect donations as they came in and we had a lot of honks as people were driving to work,” Jameson said.

More than $1,000 was raised at the event.

The Carl. C. Anderson Sr. and Marie Jo Anderson Charitable Foundation is a Coats for Coats sponsor in 2023, providing dollar-for-dollar matching funds for donations received until the end of the year, she said. Visit theandersonfoundation.org.

Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids booth

Led by long-time Coats for Kids volunteer Narciso Holguin, a team from local Knights of Columbus councils will set up a table, canopy and kids’ games at local events now through the end of the year to raise funds for and increase awareness about Coats for Kids, Jameson said.

Upcoming booth dates and locations are:

• 6 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14: Old Mesilla Car Show, Mesilla Town Hall, 2231 Avenida de Mesilla
• 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14: Zoot Suit Pachanga & Car Show, Young Park, 850 S. Walnut St.
• 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21: Las Cruces Air & Space Expo, Las Cruces International Airport, 8990 Zia Blvd., about 10 miles west of Las Cruces City Hall.

101 Gold $101 Challenge

• 6-10 a.m. Friday, Oct.6: Pool Tech Plus, 2331 E. Lohman Ave.
• 6-10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3: Location to be announced
• 6-10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 1: Comet Cleaners, 2001 E. Lohman Ave.

To register a child for a coat

Parents are asked to contact their counselor at their child’s school to register a child to receive a coat.

Visit www.lascrucescoatsforkids.com and www.facebook.com/lascrucescoatsforkids.

Coats for Kids has provided more than 60,000 coats in the past 28 years.