SANDPOINT — It is that time of year, once again, when the community comes together the share the warmth with the 33rd annual Coats 4 Kids donation drive.

"Our community has a very generous spirit and that is an easy thing to give back to someone else — to share the warmth," said Karen Battenschlag, the area event organizer with Coats 4 Kids sponsor Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty. "It just means a lot every year, when you feel the cold chill in the air in September, to know that the community — all the communities, actually, in the region — bond together and we all collect an enormous amount of coats."

The drive is not just for kids as the name suggests. Donations for all ages, from infant to adult, are accepted and distributed each year. Coats 4 Kids collects winter hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, snow pants, and snow boots of all sizes, as well as coats, at various locations around town.

Gently used and new items are always welcome, as are cash and check donations, which are used to purchase new coats.

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.

"Our goal this year is 1,000 coats, and that's 1,000 kids and adults that we can help keep warm," Battenschlag said.

Collection started on Oct. 1 and will run through the end of the month, and distribution of the coats collected so far kicked off on Monday.

The drive is off to a slow start as about 250 coats had been collected as of Monday, she said, though she is confident donations will pick up over the next couple weeks.

"Every year it starts a little slow," Battenschlag said. "... I'm hoping that more come in the next week or so, and we'll have more available for everyone the following week."

She has also collected approximately $650 in cash donations so far.

The used coats are cleaned by Nu-Way Cleaners and all items are distributed at the Bonner Mall, though it is a different location in the mall this year than in previous years. While Coats 4 Kids is a regional drive started by KXLY 4 in Spokane, all of the coats and other winter items collected in Bonner County stay in the community, Battenschlag said. Distribution is open to all Bonner County residents, from east to west.

Donations can be dropped off at any of the sponsoring locations until Oct. 31. Locations include all schools in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, except for Lake Pend Oreille and Clark Fork high schools, as well as businesses such as Tomlinson Sotheby's, Yoke's, Safeway, J.C. Penney, Mountain West Bank, Litehouse Foods, Encoder Products Company, Quest Aircraft, and more — about 45 locations total. Battenschlag said the Bonner County drive has picked up a couple new community partners this year, such as Northern Lights, which will help make up for the loss of Thorne Research.

Distribution at the Bonner Mall is scheduled through Nov. 4, though Battenschlag said it may go later to give ample time for people to stop by and get what they need for the winter.

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