VICTORIA -- As winter approaches, not everyone may be prepared for the cold weather, so one local business is hoping to lend a helping hand.
During the month of November, Victoria Hyundai is collecting new and used winter coats which will be donated to the Salvation Army.
"All sizes – kids, women, men, everyone – we want to try and literally help out there," said Victoria Hyundai general manager Scott Muir.
"With the pandemic and everything going on, it’s even more important now that we try and bind together as a community," he said.
The coat drive was started by the Kot Auto Group and Kot family in the Okanagan about five years ago.
It ran in Victoria for the first time last year when the Kot Auto Group purchased Victoria Hyundai.
Last year in Victoria, 100 coats were collected. This year, organizers are hoping to double that total.
"Two-hundred is the goal. With your help, Greater Victoria, maybe we can get to (300)," Muir said.
Once collected, the coats will be handed over to the Salvation Army and distributed through the Stanhagen Centre for Families.
"When we get up in the morning and it’s cold outside, we reach for the closet door, we get our coat, our toque, our gloves – but not everybody can do that," said Patrick Humble, Stanhagen Centre for Families executive director.
"Those are the things we take for granted, so it’s amazing for Victoria Hyundai to step up and help our population that is outside and needing help in this cold weather," he said.
Winter coats are being collected at Victoria Hyundai until the end of November. If you would like to make a donation, you can visit the dealership at 525 Gorge Road E.
