Warm Coats for Cool Kids outfits winter wear for local students

By Maureen Callahan

Everyone has a different vision of the ideal retirement. For Elmhurst resident Garry Vaccaro, that vision included starting his own non-profit. As a volunteer at Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP), Vaccaro serves as a “food recoverer” – a team that collects unsold items and produce from local grocery stores. One day, while helping at EYFP, he overheard Executive Director Kathie Watts on a phone call with a mother searching for winter coats for her three children. Watts hung up the phone in tears after she explained that she did not have access to winter clothing.

Garry and his wife, Debra, tried to locate an organization that provided new coats for kids in need. The search came up empty. Shortly thereafter, the couple founded Warm Coats for Cool Kids (WCCK). “If people couldn’t afford food, they likely couldn’t afford coats either, we reasoned,” said Vaccaro. The two began to buy coats at the end of the 2020 winter season.

Each year, between the end of September and Thanksgiving, WCCK gives away thousands of coats to underserved children in Elmhurst and other local communities.

Now in its fourth year of distribution, WCCK outfitted an estimated 2,600 Kindergarten through twelfth-grade kids with brand new winter gear this season. The best part? Each child chooses their own coat. “We wanted the kids to have a ‘shopping experience’ in which they choose a coat they really like,” said Vaccaro. “We bring many more coats to each distribution event than we actually need, so kids have choices. They can choose from a bunch of options in their size.”

It’s not just about a child getting their favorite color, either. “If five kids from the same school get coats from us, we didn’t want them to all have the same ones, because they would look like donated coats when they’re all out on the playground.”

To identify which kids might be in the greatest need, Vaccaro used the Illinois Department of Education’s website, which tracks schools that have high percentages of students from low-income families. The school is then contacted, and a list of potential students is put together with the help of the principal or a social worker. “They give us each child’s name, grade, and estimated coat size,” said Vaccaro, “so we have an idea of what to bring to the school.”

On distribution days, the pair arrive before the start of the school day to set up the event in the gym or cafeteria. Teachers and social workers escort the students to the event to “shop” for their coats. Each child deals directly with Garry, Debra, or one of their volunteers to ensure a personalized experience.

The actual work of gathering the inventory begins at the end of February. “My wife and I get in our Jeep and go to every Kohl’s, Macy’s, JCPenny, and anywhere else having a clearance sale. We fill up the car, unload, and go right back out to buy more,” said Vaccaro.

This is a couple that has discount shopping down to a science. Partly because they know kids have different tastes, but more importantly because they want every recipient to get a coat of their choice. “We always shop at Kohl’s on Wednesday because they offer a 10% senior citizen discount,” Vaccaro knows. “If the store is having a 30% off sale, that’s already a big discount.” The couple explains the project to the store manager and requests an additional 30% off – a deduction they are almost always granted. “We’ve only ever had one manager refuse us since we started this project.”

The Black Friday sale at Macy’s is always a worthwhile buying opportunity. “We bought about 150 coats at that sale last year,” said Vaccaro, “because we want to be able to offer the styles and colors of the current season. Come February or March, prices are better, but the colors we want won’t be available, so we always buy a bunch early on, even if the price point is a little higher.”

WCCK can also count on help from Operation Warm – a non-profit that collects new coats and then sells them to other non-profits for deep discounts. “If we can’t find the coats we want from retailers – suppose we’re short size 7-8 – we know we can always get some from Operation Warm. But we don’t want to get them all there because they tend to look alike.”

The ideal budget per child is around $24, although it is slightly higher when dealing with older children, as adult sizes tend to be more expensive. “The key is to buy in bulk, as we get great prices,” said Vaccaro. Over the years, knit hats and magic gloves have worked their way into the price-per-head package and are purchased in lots of 500 to keep costs effective.

WCCK was entirely self-funded the first year as the project found its footing. Over time, grants from organizations like Rotary and Kiwanis have helped considerably. In the last few years, the organization has seen a very generous donation from the DuPage Foundation as well. “Budgets fluctuate, but this year, I spent between fifty and sixty thousand dollars on winter coats, hats, and gloves,” said Vaccaro. “It was our biggest year yet!”

There are no employees, and the Vaccaros cover all administrative costs themselves. “A friend donates part of his office, which serves as our storage space. Any additional expenses – if we’re buying gas for the cars to transport the coats or boxes from Home Depot to store our inventory, that comes out of pocket. If someone writes me a check, they can be sure one hundred percent of it is going toward hats, coats, or gloves,” said Vaccaro.

For more information on volunteering at coat distribution events, or to make a donation, visit WarmCoats-CoolKids.org.

Debra Vaccaro and her husband Garry have helped an estimated 2,600 kids this winter season.

This season has been the biggest one yet for Warm Coats for Cook Kids thanks to contributions from the community.