EASLEY — Army recruiting centers throughout the upstate aren’t just looking for potential soldiers this winter — they’re on the hunt for some winter coats as well.

“We here at the Army Recruiting Centers in the upstate are holding a coat drive in connection with the One Warm Coat Foundation,” said SFC Christina Burky. “It is our second year holding the drive.”

The drive is being conducted in conjunction with One Warm Coat, a non-profit that has collected and distributed over four million coats in the past 22 years.

Burky, center leader for the Army Recruitment Center in Easley, said donations for new or gently used coats can be dropped off any one of the six Army Recruitment Centers in the Upstate.

“The dive has already begun,” she said. “And it will continue through the third of January.”

They are asking for coats of all sizes for both sexes and all ages, she said.

According to a spokesperson at One Warm Coat, the most vulnerable people in the winter months tend to be children, the elderly and the homeless.

Currently, the U.S. homeless population is estimated to be as high as 1.5 million people at any given time within a year. Families with young children make up as much as 35 percent of that population.

The drop off locations are at 1010 Tiger Boulevard in Clemson, 5115 Calhoun Highway Memorial Highway in Easley, 115 Pelham Road in Greenville, West Gate Mall in Spartanburg, 3215 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Anderson and 679 Fairview Road, Suite E in Simpsonville.

Tax receipts are available for donations.

The U.S. Army is asking for winter coats of all sizes to be donated at one of their six area recruiting centers.
http://pickenssentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_coats.jpgThe U.S. Army is asking for winter coats of all sizes to be donated at one of their six area recruiting centers. Courtesy photo

In conjunction with One Warm Coat, the U.S. Army recruiting centers are holding winter coat drives throughout the Upstate.
http://pickenssentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_coats1.jpgIn conjunction with One Warm Coat, the U.S. Army recruiting centers are holding winter coat drives throughout the Upstate. Courtesy photo

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.