Connecticut Knights of Columbus to Distribute Coats for Kids on 'Black Friday'

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As many head out to shop on the day after Thanksgiving, hundreds of area children will receive a free and much-needed gift as the Knights of Columbus distribute new winter coats to children in need at six sites throughout Connecticut on Black Friday, Nov. 27.

The K of C Coats for Kids distributions will be held at sites in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Taftville and Waterbury. The statewide initiative builds on a program that started in Bridgeport during Thanksgiving weekend in 2012.

More than 2,000 coats were distributed statewide last Black Friday by the Knights.

"While society pushes us to buy things on Black Friday, the Knights of Columbus wants to remember those who don't have basic necessities that most of us take for granted," said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "Our members are making sure that children have something essential, a coat, to help them stay warm during winter — which, as we were reminded last year, can be especially cold in Connecticut."

Coats will be distributed Friday, Nov. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon at:

Bridgeport: McGivney Community Center, 338 Stillman St.
Hartford: Sacred Heart Church, 49 Winthrop St.
New Haven: St. Mary's Church Hall, 5 Hillhouse Ave.
Stamford: Knights of Columbus Council 41, 507 Shippan Ave.
Taftville: Knights of Columbus Council 34, 47 S. Second Ave.

Coats will also be distributed on Friday in Waterbury from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.at the Shrine of St. Anne for Mothers, 515 S. Main St.

Knights will also distribute coats on Black Friday in several other states from coast to coast.

Since the program was launched in 2009, more than 300,000 new coats have been distributed to children by Knights of Columbus.

Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization with nearly 1.9 million members worldwide. It is also one of the most active charitable organizations in the United States. The Knights also set a new record for charitable giving in 2014 with donations of more than $173.5 million and 71.5 million hours of service to charitable causes, much of it raised and donated by its more than 15,000 councils. For more information, visit www.kofc.org or follow the Knights of Columbus on Facebook and Twitter at @kofc

SOURCE Knights of Columbus