For 14 years, the Knights of Columbus of British Columbia and Yukon have been donating high-quality, new winter coats to children in need, but the 218 coats they recently delivered to Ukrainian refugees at Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Cathedral in New Westminster were just a little more special than ever. They were some of the more than one million coats the Knights have now collected through their North America-wide program.
The local Knights have been part of the program since its start in 2009, with coats being distributed in all 10 Canadian provinces.
At Holy Eucharist Ukrainian, the coats are helping the parish’s robust refugee aid program to keep children warm this winter.
Herb Yang, State Deputy for the B.C. and Yukon State Council, told The B.C. Catholic the most rewarding thing about the event was the smiles on the children’s faces.
The 218 coats delivered in November represent a 48 per cent increase from last year, Yang said, and the Knights aren’t done yet. The cathedral’s pastor, Father Mykhailo Ozorovych, has asked for more than 500 coats, so more coats are on their way.
Although this is the 14th year the B.C. and Yukon Knights have taken part in the program, it was the first year for Yang.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “For me, seeing the smiles on the kids was really rewarding.”
“When you are a child, and you get something, you get this shine in your face. We are getting to do something for people in need. It was a wonderful feeling.”
The Coats for Kids program reached its major milestone on Nov. 6 when the one-millionth coat was donated at an event in Denver.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly took part in the distribution of nearly 1,000 new coats to underprivileged children in five Denver Catholic schools. The donation of coats was accompanied by a donation of $10,000 to each of the five schools involved.
In an interview with EWTN News Nightly, Kelly said the program “provides the gift of warmth to children in the coldest months.”
“It really is in keeping with who the Knights are,” he added. “Since our very beginning with Father Michael McGivney, we were in service to the family, and so it’s very much in keeping with our founding vision of serving the family and our founding mission of charity.”
Kelly pointed out that the Knights are seeing an increased need for coats this year. In 2023, more than 1,500 Knights councils will distribute over 200,000 coats.
“Charity really is part and parcel of who Christ calls us to be,” Kelly said.
Many of the teachers at the event told him about the “tremendous need” many of the low – income families have and how essential a coat is for their children.
The Coats for Kids program helps to “take the burden off the parents,” Kelly explained, by having the Knights provide coats for their children.
So who received the millionth coat?
“We gave it to this wonderful little girl and she was just a star and she was so happy to have the coat,” he said. “The coat that we gave her was a golden coat and we said we gave it to her because she has a heart of gold.”
With files from Catholic News Agency
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