DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The annual WAND Coats for Kids drive will run Oct. 27 through Dec. 1.

This is the 34th year WAND TV and Dove, Inc., have partnered to collect coats for kids at no cost to families.

Donation sites across Macon County will collect new or gently used coats. After collection, the coats are professionally cleaned before distribution.

Last year's drive collected more than 2,700 coats . The drive has collected more than 87,000 coats since it was founded by Barbara Blakey in the early 1990's.

Blakey died in 2024 not long after retiring from Dove. The drive is now held in her memory every year.

"She poured so much energy into it and more energy than I could have ever thought," said Darsonya Switzer, Chief Executive Officer at Dove.

Dove is a Decatur-based non-profit

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