Coats needed for cold kids
file photo
At American’s Best Value Port Polson Inn, Anne Engebretson collects and distributes children’s coats to kids who need them.
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — As temperatures drop, a good winter coat is a necessity in Montana. Anne Engebretson is making sure every child stays warm with her Coats for Kids program.
For 25 years Engebretson has managed American’s Best Value Port Polson Inn with her husband, Kevin. For 17 of those years, Engebretson has collected donations of coats, snow pants, mittens, scarves and boots and distributed them to children.
Now she’s again calling on the community to check their kids’ closets for outgrown coats and jackets and drop off those donations before the weather turns bitterly chilly.
“We’re looking for coats for kids in sizes newborn to 16,” Engebretson said, stressing that the program benefits children, hence the name “Coats for Kids.” Children’s coats must be in good condition, clean, with no holes and with zippers and fasteners that work. Parents should bring their child to the motel to try on a coat that fits properly.
“All these are washed and dried, and some have shrunk,” Engebretson said. “It’s also important that the child likes the coat and will wear it.”
About 150 coats are given away each year, according to Engebretson, and the quality of the items has improved in recent years.
Years ago, Engebretson participated in a Coats for Kids, Inc. program through the Missoula Jaycees, and figured she could do the same thing, unaffiliated and on her own, during the slower winter season at the motel. “They do it all over the country. I just think it’s a wonderful thing, and we get to recycle,” she said. “Everyone says … ‘I think I own 10 coats.’ What do you do with them when the kids grow up and can’t wear them anymore? It’s a good thing.”
America’s Best Value Port Polson Inn is located at 49825 U.S. Highway 93 E. Coats can be picked up between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. The motel’s front counter staff, Elizabeth and Valerie, are always willing to help with the coats, Engebretson said.
