Burlington Coat Factory, One Warm Coat & ABC'S Good Morning America Celebrate Fifth Anniversary of Coat Drive

BURLINGTON, N.J., Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Burlington Coat Factory, a national retail chain offering designer merchandise at everyday low prices, One Warm Coat, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing coats to those in need, and ABC's Emmy Award-winning news program, Good Morning America, are proud to announce the fifth anniversary of the Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive, which will run from October 28, 2011 through January 16, 2012.

On October 28, 2011, Burlington Coat Factory will launch its annual coat drive at its 460 locations nationwide.  Then, in November, Good Morning America will kick off the coat drive on air, reminding its millions of viewers about the ongoing need for coats all across the country, and demonstrating how every day people can help.

Making a difference is easy.  Anyone wishing to get involved will be able to donate coats for men, women, and children in drop box locations in all Burlington stores across the country. Coats should be in good condition, with working closures and no rips or stains. As a thank you, those who donate will receive 10 percent off an entire purchase at Burlington through January 16, 2012.  As an innovative addition, customers who participate can tweet a picture of themselves donating a coat, including #WarmCoats, for the chance to appear on a Good Morning America broadcast.  

Since the program's inception, this joint effort has resulted in the distribution of 792,090 warm coats in working with more than 250 One Warm Coat-affiliated local organizations around the country that keep the coats within the store's community in which they were donated.  This year, the coat drive plans to celebrate a major campaign milestone - the collection of its one millionth coat.

Burlington is also delighted to announce its first ever college edition to the coat drive.  Led by Burlington Coat Factory summer college interns, nine campuses will feature coat collection events and bins for donations from November 2nd through November 12th.  Participating campuses include University of Pennsylvania; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Penn State University; Delaware State University; Temple University; Rutgers University; Fashion Institute of Technology, Philadelphia University and University of Delaware.  Additionally, college students across the country can learn how they and their fellow students can give back and participate through the Campus Kit, found at BurlingtonCoatFactory.com.

"At Burlington, we have always been committed to helping our neighbors and community through a variety of charitable initiatives, and the Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive enables us to extend our efforts across the entire nation," said Thomas Kingsbury, president and chief executive officer of Burlington Coat Factory.  "This unique three-way partnership provides an infrastructure to collect coats and distribute them locally.  And this year, we look forward to collecting our one millionth coat, as well as engaging with college students nationwide, encouraging them to give back by providing them with the tools to participate in the coat drive."

"We are thrilled to begin our fifth year of partnership with Burlington Coat Factory and One Warm Coat to make a real difference in people's lives," said James Goldston, senior executive producer, Good Morning America.

"It is still a difficult time for many Americans who struggle to make ends meet, and these challenges are even greater in the winter," said Sherri Wood, president of One Warm Coat.  

"Burlington makes it easy for anyone in the country to donate coats, and Good Morning America reminds its viewers how urgently these donations are needed.  Our wish is for no one to have to go without a coat this year."

For more information or to find a list of Burlington Coat Factory stores to participate, visit: www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com or go to www.abcnews.go.com/GMA.

About Burlington Coat Factory

Burlington Coat Factory is a national retail chain offering brag-worthy merchandise for the entire family and the home with up to 60 percent off department store prices every day. Departments include ladies' sportswear, menswear, family footwear, children's clothing, furniture and accessories for baby at Baby Depot, home decor and gifts, along with the largest selection of coats in the nation for the entire family. Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1972 and has expanded from a single store selling coats, to a multi-department retail chain with more than 460 stores in 44 States and Puerto Rico.  In 2006, Bain Capital purchased Burlington Coat Factory. For more, visit www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com, and to brag about great finds from Burlington, visit www.BurlingtonBrag.com.

About One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit organization that assists in the donation of coats. OWC helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute them free, to people in need. Its mission is to ensure that anyone who needs a coat has one. Providing this simple, yet vital, need helps people live productive lives year round. Since inception, over 2.5 million coats have been collected and distributed through One Warm Coat activities. For more information about One Warm Coat, visit: www.onewarmcoat.org.

About Good Morning America

ABC News' Good Morning America is anchored by Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Josh Elliott is the news anchor, Lara Spencer is lifestyle anchor and Sam Champion is the weather anchor. The Emmy Award-winning morning news program airs live 7:00-9:00 a.m. EDT on the ABC Television Network. James Goldston is the senior executive producer and Tom Cibrowski is the executive producer of ABC News' Good Morning America. For more information, visit www.abcnews.com/gma

SOURCE Burlington Coat Factory