SANDPOINT — With the weather quickly turning chilly, the demand among local families is higher than ever for warm winter clothes.

Unfortunately, the expense of outfitting kids who all too quickly outgrow their coats and sweatshirts can be a crippling one for many families. For Karen Battenschlag, local coordinator for Coats 4 Kids, the need is readily apparent given the demand she’s seen during this season’s coat drive. While Battenschlag believes this year’s donation have been in line with or slightly more than past years, the program’s inventory has been flying out the door.

“It seems like the need out there is very great this year,” she said.

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Coats 4 Kids drop-off points in Bonner County are available at the following locations:

• Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty

• All Lake Pend Oreille School District locations

• Bonner Mall

• Bonner General Health

• Selkirk Association of Realtors

• Papa Murphy’s Pizza

• Safeway

• Panhandle State Bank- Sandpoint and Ponderay

• Mountain West Bank- Sandpoint and Ponderay

• Horizon Credit Union-Sandpoint and Ponderay

• U.S. Bank

• Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

• Wells Fargo Bank

• St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

• First Presbyterian Church

• First Lutheran Church

• Sagle Community Christ Church

• Cedar Hills Church

• First Christian Church

• The Gardenia Center

• Thorne Research

• Encoder

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