WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | 10-year-old Indiana girl continues coat drive for homeless

10-year-old Indiana girl continues coat drive for homeless

By Marisela Burgos - bio | email

BORDEN, IN (WAVE) - For the 4th year in a row, a 10-year-old Indiana girl is hosting a coat drive.

Ten-year-old Makenzie Smith started her coat drive when she was 7 years old. It’s called Makenzie's Coat Closet.

Makenzie's inspiration came from school. The young girl learned about homeless and their needs, so she wanted to do something to help them keep warm during winter. The first year she collected 79 coats. The second year she collected nearly 300 coats. Last year she collected close to 400 coats. This year, Makenzie wants to collect 1,000 coats.

Typically, the coats are donated to St. Vincent DePaul. This year the Smith family wants to try to donate coats to other shelters. "There are a lot of people out there that don't know about it yet and you just have to really spread the news," 10-year-old Makenzie Smith said.

Because Makenzie collected 400 coats last year, she nearly tripled her goal for this year. "It makes me feel good that they have someone something to keep them warm," she said.

She said she never wants to stop having her coat drive.

Her dad, Kevin Smith, has supported his daughters wish to keep the homeless warm. "It's just amazing that she's been able to keep it going," Kevin Smith said. "They need our help obviously, but something as simple as a coat on their back can brighten their day," Smith said.

When Makenzie dropped-off last year's donation, it was around Christmas.

She remembered the feeling she got when she delivered the coats. "When we drive down to the homeless shelter I'll see people outside and I'll think, this is going to make them feel real good," she said. "'Cause they don't have anything on and they're freezing and they need something to keep them warm," she continued.

Makenzie started collecting coats for this year’s drive, right after Christmas 2008. Since then, the family has collected close to 400 coats. They hope to round-up 1,000 by Thanksgiving. They plan to donate the coats the day after Thanksgiving.

If you would like to donate coats, you can drop them off at any of their collection sites.

COLLECTION SITES:

AML INC. - 2916 Campion Rd., Floyds Knobs, IN 47119

Koetter Woodworking - 533 Louis Smith Rd., Borden, IN 47106

Communities In School - 1406 Frederick Ave., Jeffersonville, IN 47130

Spencerian College - 4627 Dixie Highway, Louisville, KY 40216

Siemens Industry, Inc. - 11001 Bluegrass Pkwy Ste. 320, Louisville, KY 40299

Henderson Services - 4502 Poplar Level Rd., Louisville, KY 40213

Associated Builders & Contractors - 1810 Taylor Ave., Louisville, KY 40213

Boice.net - 700 Pearl St., New Albany, IN 47150

J Staples Jewelry - 9800 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, KY 40299

*If you would like to donate, but cannot drop off a coat at one of the collection sites, you can email the Smith family at: makenziescoatcloset@hughes.net.

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