LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The U-Haul pulled into the parking lot at Southern Elementary School at around 9:15 am. Once upon a time, it was the same school Devine Carama walked into every morning as a student. But today, the director of One Lexington came for a much different reason.
“It's so many people coming together making this happen,” Carama said. “You think 2,500 coats, how will you make that happen in 6 weeks? This is how you make it happen; it's about community coming together,” he continued before giving a nod to his sponsors, Walmart and The Whitaker Foundation.
For the last 11 years, Carama has run his own winter coat driveto make sure the kids of Kentucky in need of one have a brand-new coat to call their own. He’s certainly not against lightly used clothing; we’ve all had hand-me-downs, but in this case, he prefers bringing coats with tags still in place.
“Toys are great, but every kid deserves a coat. Our first year we gave away 40 used coats, now we're giving away over 2,500 brand new coats every year,” he explained.
On Monday, he spent the day giving those coats to children in eastern Kentucky and some other towns along the way. On Wednesday, he made about 14 deliveries all over Lexington. His former school was among the first.
“What a gift to be a former Southern Elementary student and come and give back. It’s so rewarding,” said Principal, Brandy Holley.
For Devine, though, the reward isn’t limited to distribution days.
“We’ve got kids who received coats 8-9 years ago; now they're coming to volunteer because it meant so much to them. It's paying it forward and inspiring young people to maybe one day give back themselves,” Carama said.
With more consistent winter weather closing in and Christmas in one week, the timing of Carama’s coat drive isn’t a coincidence.
“When you think of eastern Kentucky, rural areas, it might be a half mile, or quarter of a mile walk to the bus stop, so these coats will do what they're supposed to do,” he added.
