Nihal Gill, a junior at Turlock High, and was inspired to give back to those in need one day when he was on his way to school and saw a man outside in need of a coat.
“My mind started to think about how many people were probably trying to survive through these winter months without a coat. I wanted to do something to help people stay warm during the dead, cold winters,” said Gill.
Gill is the founder of Project Spark, a non-profit that provides free classes for kids in the Ceres community about STEM and robotics. They are partnering up with One Warm Coat, an organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need and raises awareness of the vital need for warm coats
“We are excited about our upcoming One Warm Coat drive and invite the community to participate and support our efforts. Because of the ongoing economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for coats this fall and winter will be greater than ever before.” said Gill, “One Warm Coat’s program provides free coats to people in need. All of the coats we collected will be distributed in our community and help our neighbors stay safe and warm this winter.”
Last year, more than 260,000 coats were distributed across North America to children and adults in need through One Warm Coat’s Coat Drive Program. Since 1992, One Warm Coat has worked with volunteers and sponsors to hold more than 40,000 coat drives, collecting nearly 7 million coats which have been distributed to people in need through a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit partners across all 50 states.
“We’re grateful for volunteer Coat Drive Ambassadors like Project Spark. It’s because of our incredible volunteers that so many people receive the gift of warmth each year. Shelter from the elements, like clean water, food and housing is a basic need. Thanks to Project Spark’s efforts, many people in this community will be warm this winter,” said President and CEO of One Warm Coat Beth Amodio.
