Steve's Coats Winter Outerwear Drive
At E.R. Services one of our core passions is helping our community. Our owner, Dave Parker, and the E.R. Services staff volunteer in a variety of ways.
Partnership with WSOC TV Channel 9 Family Focus
We are a proud partner of 9 Family Focus, WSOC-TV’s special program highlighting local organizations and individuals who are doing good for our community. You can get involved by donating a new or gently used winter coat December 2, 2019 through January 19, 2020.
Steve's Coats for Kids Annual Coat Drive
WSOC TV's Steve’s Coats for Kids campaign is a part of the Channel 9 Family Focus brand and was introduced in 2005. Steve’s Coats for Kids campaign runs in January of each year Over the last 12 years, this campaign has been a labor of love brought together through various partnerships. All coat donations are distributed through Crisis Assistance Ministry serving the Charlotte area since 1975. An independent non-profit agency, Crisis Assistance Ministry focuses on preventing homelessness and preserving dignity for Charlotte-Mecklenburg's working poor — providing assistance with rent, utilities, clothing and furniture.
Steve’s Coats for Kids has collected nearly 175,000 coats in the last 15 years. Every coat donation spends less than 48 hours in the Crisis Assistance Ministry Free Store before benefiting someone in need.
2020 Coat Drive: Yet Another Record-Breaking Year!
Steve’s Coats for Kids has set another coat collection record! Thanks to the efforts of our partnership, a total of 27,275 coats were donated and will be distributed free to kids in our community.
We had an increase in excess of 1,500 over last year. That means more warm kids this winter, which is great news for our community's families in need. Thanks, all who volunteered and donated, for making Charlotte a better place to live for all families in all situations!
2019 Coat Drive: Another Record-Breaking Year!
The 2019 Coat Drive just concluded, and E.R. Services was happy to be a part of it, as we have been the last several years. The community donated a record 25,753 COATS to Steve’s Coats for Kids which is 1,700 more coats than last year’s collection.
Thank you again for your continuous support and dedication to making sure children in our community stay warm this winter!
Check back in December of 2019 to see how you can help. Man donation events, help with the collection, delivery and distribution of coats, and help us get the word out so we can collect as many kids' coats as possible in 2020. We look forward to working together to make sure every child in need has a warm winter coat next year!
2018 Coat Drive
Once again, the coat drive was a great success!We collected and distributed just over 24,000 coats for kids!
Dave Parker, owner of the Charlotte plumbing company, says, "Once again, the community has done amazing things and donated a record 24,041 COATS to Steve's Coats for Kids, which is 2,400 more coats than last year's record collection. Many of those coats were cleaned and on the rack at Crisis Assistance Ministry within twenty-four hours of being donated. For a child in need, these aren't just coats. A new coat will help keep a kid's head held high and gives an aspect of dignity to their life."
Coats collected through the drive were cleaned and donated to families in need through Crisis Assistance Ministry through a partnership with WSOC TV Channel 9.
2017 Coat Drive
E.R. Services contributes to Steve's Coats by providing a donation location and by manning the main donation event at the WSOC TV station.
"The Charlotte community has done amazing things and donated a record 21,636 COATS to Steve’s Coats for Kids here in 2017," said Dave Parker, owner of E.R. Services.
"That is over a thousand more coats than last year. Thanks to incredible partnerships and the hard work of many volunteers, a number of those coats were cleaned and on the rack at Crisis Assistance Ministry within fifteen hours of being donated."
2016 Coat Drive
“How many kids in Charlotte don’t have winter coats?” David Parker, owner of E.R. Services asked. “Thousands. That’s way too many. We’ve got to do something about that.”
E.R. Services partnered with WSOC TV’s Family Focus program to host and man a winter coat donation drive called Steve’s Coats For Kids (named after TV personality Steve Udelson). The local plumbing company volunteered its time, location and manpower to make the coat drive happen.
“We hosted one of the donation drives at CPCC campus in downtown Charlotte,” Parker said. “The response was incredible. So many people came out, bringing new and gently used coats, with smiles on their faces and an obvious desire to give to those in need in our community.”
E.R. Services also opened their office as an official donation site, collecting coats in Mint Hill and bringing them to the main drop off site, where the coats were cleaned and then distributed through Crisis Assistance Ministry of Charlotte. Steve’s Coats For Kids has been a city wide charitable program for eleven years. This is E.R. Plumbing Services’ first time as a partner with the program.
Steve's Coats For Kids 2016 was another record breaker. It was the program’s first time ever collecting over 20,000 coats; a total of 20,385 were donated this year.
“It’s very rewarding both to see how much joy donating the coats brings to people as well as to realize how many kids will be receiving winter coats this year,” Parker says. “As a company, we’re always looking for ways to give back to the community. Steve’s Coats For Kids is a great way for us to support the youth of Charlotte in a tangible way.”
Charlotte Plumbers Making a Difference
Join E.R. Services when we support families in need each winter. We hope to see you get out there with us, making a difference in Charlotte!
