An Okotoks group believes nobody should be without warm outerwear in the winter.
The Okotoks United Church is running its annual Jacket Racket event with a few changes to accommodate health and safety regulations for COVID-19.
Carol Price, who co-chairs Jacket Racket with Karen Pryznyk, said they began collecting items in September through eight donation locations around town, and will continue to take donations if people find items in their closets they’re willing to part with.
“We want to say a huge thank you to all our donations spots, all our volunteers, and all the people who are very generously donating all kinds of winter items,” said Price.
She said the Jacket Racket items may be dropped off at Okotoks Sobeys, the Okotoks Public Library, Foothills Cleaners, Better Than Home Laundry, Pason Centennial Arenas (gold), the Okotoks United Church, Main Street Market, and the Okotoks Fire Hall #1 on Milligan Drive.
In addition, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools reached out through its high school volunteer organization and is collecting items from Okotoks schools to contribute to the program, she said.
Tara Epp, who runs the St. Vincent de Paul Youth Conference at Holy Trinity Academy, said she was looking for ways the students could volunteer in the community, and having donated to Jacket Racket before it came to mind.
“These kids are wanting to do good in the community – this is their gig, a lot of them don’t play sports, this is what they do and they’ve been eager to do something,” said Epp.
She reached out to the ladies at the United Church to gauge their interest in having the Okotoks schools pitch in, and their donations were warmly welcomed, she said.
Each CTR Catholic school in Okotoks, as well as St. Francis of Assisi Academy in DeWinton and the Centre for Learning@Home, is collecting items and the HTA St. Vincent de Paul volunteers pick up their donations on Friday afternoons to deliver to the United Church. St. James Parish and St. Michael’s Church are also taking items for the project, she said.
“We put a sticker on them with the date we pick them up and they’re not touched for 72 hours for the COVID protocols,” said Epp. “The United Church has this running like a well-oiled machine. They’ve done a lot of work.”
At the end of Jacket Racket, Epp has arranged with the United Church for extra items to be delivered to Eden Valley via the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. James, which helped provide baby necessities to the community southwest of Longview during the pandemic lockdown.
Price said they’re pleased to help out the wider community in addition to those who come to their Jacket Racket events over the next three weeks.
“In the past any items leftover we would send along to Calgary Drop-In Centre, they would come and pick them up,” said Price. “But this time we’re going to try to keep everything local because we think there might be more need in our community and neighbouring communities.”
The church also holds on to a few items so if anyone suddenly finds themselves without winter gear they can get outfitted and stay warm and safe, she said.
The free winter clothing exchange is open to anyone, she said – there is no requirement to prove need. People who just want to change up their winter gear are also welcome to come, with or without a donation of their gently-used items.
A full range of sizes for children, men and women is hung on racks in the United Church, as well as a selection of boots, and apparel like mitts and scarves are hanging on clotheslines so people do not have to rummage through to find items they like.
It’s all part of the COVID regulations for this year, which have changed up how the in-person visits work, she said.
“Only one person per household can come to collect the items, so if you’re bringing it for your family you need to know what size you need, colour preference, that kind of thing,” said Price.
Two customers will be allowed in the building at a time to help maintain distancing. Masks are required, and hand sanitizer will be provided upon arrival, she said. Anyone who visits will be asked for their name and telephone number for contact tracing, and that information will be shredded 14 days after their visit, she said.
If people bring items home that do not work for their family members, she said they can be brought back to any donation bin. All donations are being left for 72 hours and then washed and dried, or dry-cleaned, prior to being put out on display.
“We just want to keep everyone safe and do our part for the community,” said Price. “We are so grateful for all the support to be able to run Jacket Racket.”
Jacket Racket will run Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. from Oct. 20 to Nov. 7.
