Fall is over, temperatures are dropping rapidly, and it is officially coat season. Did you buy a brand new coat or does your old one fit you? Whichever the case is, I bet you still have a coat that you have outgrown or one that you don’t use anymore. So, instead of throwing it away in the trash, consider giving it to DECA.  

DECA stands for Distributive Education Club of America. It’s a business club kind of like FBLA. It’s a student-led organization at SWHS, and they do fun activities to help the community such as a Thanksgiving food basket making contest every November and a banner competition that they have won five years in a row. 

They also do a coat drive. The coat drive has been around for 13 years at South Windsor High School, and the students have made flyers and put them around the school to raise awareness about people in need of warm clothing in the winter. Every year, the coat drive collects around 75-80 coats; to date the coat drive has collected 946 coats.

So many coats, but where does it all go before giving them away? The coats go to the dry cleaners to be washed and cleaned, then to the Salvation Army where they are handed out every year.

The coat drive is a great way to give back to the community and a great way to help people who struggle to attain proper winter attire. Next year, please think about donating your outgrown and gently used coats to the coat drive to keep Connecticut warm.