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SOUTH JORDAN — The dinner table at the Jones' residence is covered in children's coats. The family of eight is using the space to organize donations for their "Every Kid in a Coat" campaign, aimed at providing warmth to our youngest Utahns in need.
"Tens of thousands of kids in Utah live in poverty," Julia Jones said. "I think a lot of us don't realize how many children are taking food home on the weekends from school so that they can eat."
Parents Julia and Kevin Jones felt inspired to not only donate themselves but to encourage their family and friends to help collect new and gently used coats. They say the idea snowballed and has now turned into a project with all hands on deck.
"It's not food on the table right now, it's winter coats and the goal is that those winter coats don't sit on our table too long," Kevin Jones said.
So far the family has purchased 30 coats with $700 in donations. They do not have an exact number of how many coats they need, but they hope to collect as many as possible before the end of the year.
"We know that even after Christmas we have some cold months ahead of us, so we will keep doing this as long as we need to," Kevin Jones said.
The family is working with the Jordan School District to distribute these donations, asking teachers to help students fill out a form with their needs.
"We need those to get us the sizes, the quantity and the gender so that we can take those directly to the schools," Julia Jones said.
To donate to the campaign, you can email the organization at everykidinacoat@gmail.com or visit their GoFundMe campaign.*
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
