Raleigh Christmas Parade Kicks-Off 2002 Coats for the Children Campaign

With the Raleigh Christmas Parade held on Saturday, November 23, 2002, WRAL-TV kicked off its annual Coats For The Children campaign to collect winter coats and clothing for needy children in the viewing area.

Jiffy Lube and Chick-fil-A are sponsoring the 14th annual campaign along with the station. The telethon accompanying the campaign will air live on WRAL-TV on Friday, December 6. Live specials at 12:30pm, 7:00pm and 11:35pm will be accompanied by cut-ins throughout the day.

The campaign itself will last through December 31. Bring new or used coats by any Jiffy Lube or Chick-fil-A locations in Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Smithfield, Clayton, Wake Forest and Goldsboro.

In addition to the need for clean coats, WRAL-TV5 is asking the public to donate other winter clothing items including: gently used gloves, hats, and new underwear, t-shirts and socks to completely outfit a child for the winter months. Any size coat will be accepted, however, larger sizes for teens and adults are in particular demand this year.

The Salvation Army will take charge of distributing the coats and other items to those in need.

Since 1989, WRAL-TV5 has collected over 63,000 coats and nearly $560,000 to provide winter clothing for Salvation Army families.