Carbondale Police is teaming up again with the SIU Athletics Department this holiday season to collect new coats for boys and girls ages 1 to 8 in Carbondale.

The donated coats will benefit the children served by the Carbondale Police Department Community Christmas Store. New coats will be collected at all home men’s and women’s basketball games in November.

The Carbondale Police Department Community Christmas Store is an annual event conducted by the Carbondale Police Department’s Victims’ Advocate with assistance from the Victims’ Advocates of Jackson County. The event provides gifts and toys at reduced costs to the families of 100 children from at-risk or under-privileged families residing in Carbondale who are not receiving services from other agencies. The goal this year is to once again provide each of these children with a warm coat as the winter months approach.

Coats for Kids donations will also be accepted at the Carbondale Police Department, located at 501 S. Washington St., and on campus at the SIUC Department of Public Safety, located at 1175 S. Washington St., Trueblood Hall as well as at the athletics office in Lingle Hall, room 127.