Vancouver – The Vancouver area Knights of Columbus this week gave away more than 50 coats to children in need.
Coats were distributed at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Franklin Elementary School and local Share House locations. The effort was supported by the Vancouver Council #1327 of the Knights of Columbus, according to a news release.
The coat giveaway builds on the group’s annual Black Friday distribution, which began in Connecticut in 2012. However, the Knights of Columbus in the United States and Canada has given away more than 370,000 coats to children since 2009, the news release said.
“In our area, we’ve had many businesses close or reduce their work force over the past few years,” Gregory S. Mahoney, state program director for the Washington Knights of Columbus, said in the news release. “Too many people in the area are underemployed and struggling to make ends meet, and this program will certainly help those families.”
The Knights of Columbus has nearly 1.9 million members worldwide, according to the news release, and raised more than $175 million in donations last year and had 73.5 million hours of service.
