Project Keep Kids Warm volunteer Amanda Matznick brings a bag full of winter clothing to a waiting car during a neighborhood collection in October 2018. Matznick was one of over 100 volunteers, many of them area youth, who gathered donated new or gently used clothing for children for the ninth annual clothing drive in the Ishpeming, Negaunee and Republic areas. This year, Project Keep Kids Warm is making progress toward its goal of collecting and distributing winter apparel to local youth, but there are some new challenges amid the pandemic, organizers said. While the door-to-door collection, clothing drives and other face-to-face events won’t be held this year for safety reasons, organizers are still looking for donations of new winter clothing and/or financial donations. (Journal file photo)

ISHPEMING — The 11th annual Project Keep Kids Warm is making progress, but organizers are still seeking donations and working to distribute winter clothing for area youth in a safe, responsible way amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drive, which provides snow pants, jackets, boots, mittens, hats, scarves and other winter garb to families in need, has always been complex, Project Keeping Kids Warm coordinator Dick Derby said.

But the volunteer team is working its way through issues that the COVID-19 pandemic presents.

“I am happy to report that we have been receiving generous donations — both financial donations and in the form of new winter clothing. This has allowed us to increase our inventory of jackets, snow pants, boots, hats and mittens,” Derby said. “At the same time, we have received input from the west end schools and other organizations, all directed at helping us identify families in need. We are providing those families with the winter clothing that they require. The Keep Kids Warm program has had to evolve because of the restrictions of the COVID virus, but our team, along with the help of many others, has been able to do just that. We expect that our connections will continue to identify families throughout our area and we will be there for them in the months ahead.”

Organizers continue to seek donations of new winter clothing and/or financial contributions.

In years past, the program has been able to distribute around 6,000 winter clothing items annually to hundreds of children and families.

Derby estimates that the absence of past gathering methods like door-to-door collections and widespread drop-boxes — as well as the move to accept only new winter clothing — has reduced inventory by about half this year, which is why an extended collection and distribution period is necessary.

He said western Marquette County school districts — including Ishpeming, NICE, Republic-Michigamme and Negaunee — have been identifying families with children in need. Project Keep Kids Warm volunteers have been filling those requests.

“We believe that as the program unfolds under these new parameters, there will be more families identified,” Derby said. “And our objective remains to get kids into winter clothing to the best of our ability. The program will be ongoing over the months ahead. Therefore, we continue to reach out to people throughout our communities, asking for the same — their ongoing support of Project Keep Kids Warm. It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors.”

The community can help in two ways, he said. Mail a financial contribution to PKKW in care of the Wesley United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 342, Ishpeming, MI, 49849. Organizers ask that checks be made out to the Wesley United Methodist Church, noting Project KKW in the memo line.

People can also purchase new winter clothing for youth — infant to 18 years old — and drop items off in the marked totes at Wesley United Methodist Church, located at 801 Hemlock St. in Ishpeming, or the Immanuel Lutheran Church at 521 U.S. 41 in Negaunee.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.