Middletown, CT – Despite the impact of COVID-19 on business, Best Cleaners is kicking off its 12th annual Coats For Connecticut campaign with a new resolve to help an ever-increasing number of individuals and families who are struggling to make ends meet this year. The locally-owned dry cleaning and tailoring company hopes to collect, clean and deliver 10,000 donated coats and jackets to The Salvation Army for distribution throughout Connecticut. To do so, the general public is urged to go through their closets; gather up coats that are in good condition but no longer worn; and drop them off at any one of Best’s 13 locations by November 25. Outerwear for all ages and in all sizes is needed, especially children’s coats. All donated coats will be cleaned for free and delivered to a centralized Salvation Army drop site in Meriden where volunteers will sort the coats for distribution to those in need.  

The Coats For Connecticut program was started by Best Cleaners in 2008 with the primary goal of putting its eco-friendly services to work to help those in need get through the cold winter months. Given the pandemic and its impact on family finances, the need for coats is greatly increased, and the need for clean coats is critical. Confidence in meeting the demand is high due to the overwhelming generosity of the community at large and Best’s campaign partners.In addition to The Salvation Army, sponsors include Eyewitness News WFSB-TV3, Young’s Printing/Fast Signs, and Two Men And A Truck. Their ongoing support of the campaign continues to increase awareness of the growing need in the community and the relative ease of donating to the program. Since the campaign’s inception, more than 118,000 coats have been collected, cleaned and delivered.

In a typical year donations from schools, churches, and businesses conducting their own coat drives have been a major factor in the community-wide effort. With distance learning and more people working from home this year, groups that have to cancel their collection are asked to help get the word out that coat donations can be dropped off at any Best Cleaners instead. Best is located in Berlin, Bristol, Canton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Middletown, North Haven, Old Lyme, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, and Windsor. Those who would like to donate to The Salvation Army for the purchase of a new coat, can text COATSCT to 71777 or go online to https://give.salvationarmy.org/Coats-for-CT. For more information on Coats For Connecticut, go to www.bestcleaners.com or call 1-888-950-BEST.