[caption id="attachment_530" align="alignright" width="300"] Coats and sweaters line Alpine Shop's conference room during the 2010 One Warm Coat Drive.[/caption] Over the last four years, Alpine Shop customers have donated over 5300 coats to help those in need in our St Louis and Columbia communities during the winter. We're asking for your help once again this year as Alpine Shop kicks off it's seventh annual One Warm Coat Drive.

How It Works

Starting Monday, October 22, we'll accept clean, gently-used coats and sweaters at each and every Alpine Shop location.

• Donate ONE coat, jacket or sweater and you'll receive a coupon for 15% off any one clothing item.
• Donate TWO coats, the coupon will be worth 20% off.
• Donate THREE items and we'll give you a coupon worth 25% off any one clothing item in our stores.

And it gets better... If we reach our goal of 1500 coats donated by Sunday, November 18, we'll give away $150 gift cards to four lucky donors. You'll receive one entry into the drawing for each and every item you donate. NOTE: Alpine Shop will only give away one coupon to each customer during the coat drive no matter how many different times you donate. However, each item donated will still earn one entry into the gift card drawing. So, if you donate nine items, you'll receive one 25% off coupon and nine entries into the drawing. If you came back the next day with three more items to donate, you'd receive three more entries into the drawing, but no additional coupon. The 2012 One Warm Coat Drive will run from Monday, Oct. 22 through Sunday, November 18.

How to Donate

Alpine Shop has made donating simple. Just bring your clean, gently used coats, jackets and sweaters to any Alpine Shop location. Bring your coats inside the store and check them in with one of the store’s outfitters to make sure you receive your coupon and get entered into the drawing. Then, Alpine Shop and One Warm Coat take care of the rest. Donated coats will be split among organizations in St. Louis, including: Sunshine Ministries, St. Patrick Center, Coats for Kids and Edgewood Children’s Center.

Donate Unsold Swap Coats, as Well

For the first time ever, we're also giving Swap participants the opportunity to join in the giving, as well. If a coat or jacket you enter into this year's Winter Swap (October 19–21) doesn't sell, you can choose to donate those goods into the One Warm Coat Drive and receive your coupon! When you pick up your swap credit and unsold items following the Swap, simply tell the friendly Alpine Shop outfitter working with you that you want to participate in the One Warm Coat Drive and they'll take care of it for you.

Help Make a Difference

Here's a little bit of what your donations have meant to the St. Patrick Center in St Louis.

Thanks again for thinking of SPC for your One Warm Coat Drive. The 300 coats we received were distributed immediately. Case Managers were able to support their clients and families as were people in the community in need. All of the coats were distributed within 2 days of receiving. It was especially gratifying with the quality (gently used) coats that clients received. Thanks again to you and your customers for your support of our clients and community. Regards, Gene Smith St. Patrick Center

About One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that supports and encourages coat drives. It helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute the coats free to people in need. More than one million coats have been provided to those in need at no cost since its inception in 1992.