SANDPOINT — Encoder Products Company has stepped up once again to share the warmth this year.

Local Coats 4 Kids organizer Karen Battenschlag showed up to Encoder on Monday prepared to accept the $1,025 and 116 coats raised by the companies employees. Upon entering the building, the giant check to be used for a photo prop was in the lobby by the coats. When Battenschlag saw the total on the check for double the expected amount, it nearly brought her to tears.

“It’s amazing, my heart is overwhelmed,” Battenschlag said. “I am just astounded that they have topped themselves again from last year and that we are going to be able to buy, I’m sure, a couple hundred coats with this.”

Encoder employees had in fact gathered the 116 coats and raised the $1,025 for Coats 4 Kids, and then the company matched the dollar amount for a total of $2,050.

“It’s just a fantastic opportunity for Encoder Products to give back to the community that has supported us for almost 50 years now,” said Bob White, Encoder’s chief financial officer.

Last year, the challenge was brought forth to Encoder’s approximately 150 employees who, in about a week, collected 64 coats and other winter items, such as hats and gloves. The employees also donated $600, and with the employer match, a total of $1,200 for Coats 4 Kids.

Ben Truex and Lacey Clayburn were two of the employees who were instrumental in raising the funds. Truex said he and Clayburn were talking at work one day, and decided that because it is the fall season, they needed to have a bake sale. After wondering who might be able to benefit from the proceeds of a bake sale, Clayburn came back to him about an hour later — actually she yelled it across the room — that they should donate to Coats 4 Kids.

“So we did a bake sale, and at the end of it, we didn’t have quite enough money,” Truex said.

The company goal was to raise enough for purchase of 160 coats, he said. So about 20 minutes after the bake sale, they started brainstorming once again and quickly came up with the idea to have a chili feed for $5 a head.

“With that, we smashed it,” Truex said.

That is how it all came about, he said, as they wanted to help out the community. When they didn’t meet that goal with the bake sale, he took it as a personal challenge to make sure it was met. Truex called on others in the community to help out as well.

“There is Diedrich Roasters in town, there’s Tamarack Aerospace, Quest Aircraft — they need to step up and take a charity,” Truex said, adding that it doesn’t matter which charity. “We are a small community and we really need to challenge each other to make our community better. These charitable contributions aren’t just now, they are year-round ... I absolutely challenge everybody in this community to do the same thing we did if not better.”

And if anyone wants to challenge him, he said, he accepts.

Coats 4 Kids was started by KXLY 33 years ago. Battenschlag, who works for Coats 4 Kids sponsor Tomlinson Sotheby’s discovered a second coat campaign taking place at the Bonner Mall and Yokes five years ago, and with the goal of expanding Coats 4 Kids and creating community partners, the two coat campaigns merged under the Coats 4 Kids drive.

Last year’s monetary donations of $2,844 helped purchase 130 new coats, 28 new pairs of snow boots, 42 pairs of gloves and mittens, and 11 winter hats. Also last year, 1,519 donations included 1,011 coats, 231 winter hats, 77 pairs of winter gloves and mittens, 104 winter scarves, 57 pairs of winter snow boots, and 39 pairs of snow pants.

Collection for this year’s Coats 4 Kids drive ended Wednesday, however distribution in the Bonner Mall has been extended through Nov. 11.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.