BOULDER, Colo. (Oct. 23, 2026) — Cozy Coats for Kids® partnered with Mission Sheds to provide brand-new winter coats to children and families in Hot Springs, North Carolina, affected by Hurricane Helene. Mission Sheds is a local nonprofit organization that provides temporary shelter and essential supplies to individuals and families affected by natural disasters. The organization coordinated the coat orders and distributed the coats to children in the community.
Cozy Coats for Kids® purchased and shipped the coats to the partnering organization, taking into account each child’s color preferences and local winter weather conditions. The coats were provided at no cost, thanks to the generous support of the inspection industry and others who helped raise fund for the Annual Coat Delivery Program throughout the year. Barbie Johnson, Mission Sheds Secretary, coordinated the effort. Families picked up coats at the Spring Creek Community Center, and volunteers brought them to households that could not travel.
“On behalf of Mission Sheds, I want to extend our heartfelt thank you for the amazing winter coats provided for the children in our area,” said Johnson. “Each coat was perfect. It was clear that time was taken to select colors and styles tailored to what the kids wanted, from Spiderman to Unicorns.”
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated the rural Spring Creek community. As families continue to rebuild, partnerships like this help meet essential needs and ensure children have warm winter coats as colder weather approaches in the Western North Carolina mountains. Daytime temperatures can be in the 40s, dropping into the 20s and 30s overnight.
This partnership was one of many coordinated through Cozy Coats for Kids’ 2026 Annual Coat Delivery Program, which provides brand-new winter coats to children in need across the country.
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Cozy Coats for Kids® is the official 501(c)(3) charity organization of InterNACHI®. With support from the inspection industry, the charity raises funds year-round to provide free coats to kids in their favorite color nationwide, at no cost to partners or coat recipients.