LEXINGTON, Ky. — In nine years, a Lexington organization has provided 20,000 coats to kids and families.
Devine Carama is a key player in youth advocacy and is working to help kids warm. From now until the end of the work-week, he and his “Believing in Forever” organization are rounding up brand new coats for kids in need to keep warm.
Carama is the director of ONE Lexington, an anti-violence group. He is stepping outside of city hall, to bring coats by the racks to Consolidated Baptist Church on the north side of Lexington. His Believing in Forever nonprofit is currently collecting as many brand-new winter coats as possible with at least 2,000 they would like to distribute to kids across Kentucky.
Believing in Forever is partnering with different schools and organizations to meet a need.
“It makes an impact because, you know, I don’t think people understand organizations — they struggle also with inflation and they’re the ones that people come to for help,” Carama said.
Nearly 1,000 coats have been collected and families have already requested 250 coats for kids as young as seven years old.
Carama says these coats will go directly to the children and will help their community partners provide resources as well, “And so, working with the family resource center, they’re really in tune with what kids need. And so that’s why that partnership is important,” he explained. “They work with these kids every day, so they let us know what the need is. And we meet that need.”
Not only is the coat drive serving Lexington but also kids in Eastern Kentucky affected by flooding and in Mayfield, a community hit hard by a tornado two years ago.
“Always serve Central and Eastern Kentucky, but any time something happens in that part of the state, whether it’s the western part of the state with the tornadoes or the floods and other parts of Eastern Kentucky,” Carama explained. “We always try to reach out to that city. We’re intentional about trying to respond to any pocket of people in Kentucky that might be hurting to see if we can help.”
After a majority of the coats reach schools, the remaining coats and winter attire will be open to the city at the Consolidated Baptist Church on Monday, Dec. 11.
Those wanting to help can bring a brand new coat from newborn sizes to adults to the Consolidated Baptist church until 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 10. You can also speak with Believing in Forever about other ways to contribute.