MOSES LAKE — With the cold weather of autumn slowly creeping up on the Columbia Basin, the Rotary Club of Moses Lake is collecting coats for this year’s “Coats for Kids” giveaway in November.

“We accept donations of used coats,” said Bob Tatum, who is heading up the club’s coat donation program this year. “We’re accepting them all the way to Oct. 31.”

The club began accepting donations this week, and will give the coats away in the cafeteria at Chief Moses Middle School on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 8:30-10 a.m. The Rotary has collected and given away winter coats since 1997, and normally distributes 500-700 coats every year.

“It’s been a good program,” Tatum said. “There are people here in the community that could use a good winter coat.”

The club is asking for donations of “gently used” winter coats of all sizes, and not just for kids. However, the sizes they run out of first are boys’ and girls’ sizes 6 through 8.

Donations can be dropped off in wardrobe boxes at Staples, Cobie’s Dry Cleaning, Washington Federal, Banner Bank, Umpqua Bank, the Grant County Public Utility District office, Moses Lake Christian Academy, Laketown Pharmacy, Basin Chiropractic and Samaritan Hospital.

“I just went to the hospital, and picked up a bunch of coats,” Tatum said.

Cobie’s Dry Cleaning will also clean the coats at no charge, Tatum added.

While the Rotary is relying on donations, Tatum said the club does have some money to spend on the coat giveaway as well.

“We have $600,” Tatum said. “We’ll probably go to the thrift store and buy some winter stuff. But most of it is donated.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.