BOULDER, Colo. (Dec. 19, 2024) — Cozy Coats for Kids® partnered with Oklahoma City Community College’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Education Navigator, Samantha Hayes to provide single-parent college students with brand-new winter coats for their kids.

The TANF Education Navigator works directly with single-parent college students living at or below the poverty line. All TANF clients are individuals who are jobless and receive a small amount of financial assistance that still isn’t enough to cover basic living expenses. The program’s mission is to provide education and employment training that leads to self-sufficiency, empowering parents to build better lives for their families.

“I ask all of the moms in my program to provide me with the necessary information about their kids to make the winter coat referral,” said Hayes. By collecting details such as size, color, and style preferences, the program ensures that each coat feels personal and special to the child receiving it.

The impact of this program has reportedly been tremendous. “Kids need coats almost every year because they grow so much. Yes, there are second-hand options and coat drives at local churches, but the way the kids feel when they get something new — just for them, in a color they picked, and that no one else wore before — is huge to them,” said Hayes.

She said that during the coat distribution process, “Most moms became emotional when they received the coats. Every one of them inspected the coats, looking them over and exclaiming how cute, how nice, and how warm they looked.”

The coats have made a real impact on the families in need. “This was the difference between choosing to pay a bill or clothe their child. Purchasing coats for multiple children can cost hundreds of dollars, which, for my clients, could take up their entire monthly budget. Having a winter coat also keeps kids in school. Sometimes kids have to stay home because they don’t have the right clothes to go outside,” said Hayes.

Cozy Coats for Kids® is a charity organization supported by the home inspection industry. It partners with schools, churches, nonprofits, and other organizations that work directly with families in need to provide brand-new winter coats for kids at no cost to the partners or families.

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