Chicago nonprofit collecting winter coats for migrants as winter approaches
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As temperatures drop, the wishlist for donations for newly arrived migrants in Chicago is growing. Organizers are now looking to give asylum seekers warm clothing, winter coats, and hats ahead of the coming winter months.
Volunteers at the nonprofit Cradles to Crayons on the North Side spent the day on Friday going through a big shipment of donations.
Staff said they have been getting deliveries of new kids' coats every day. The nonprofit collects donated children's items to distribute to kids in need, and now that includes some of the migrants who have been arriving in Chicago.
Towers of boxes at Cradles to Crayons hold small coats meant to make a big impact; outfitting some of the city's youngest migrants as the temperatures drop.
Volunteers at Cradles to Crayons check each box for what's inside, some unaware before they got here their work might end up close to home.
"I'm really happy to hear it. I live next to a police station, and so I actually see a lot of migrants on a daily basis, and they are cold right now, because they're really living outside, and there's a lot of tents, and you can tell that this will be really valuable," volunteer Satvika Ananthanarayan said.
Cradles to Crayons has taken in 40 pallets of new coats, transitioning quickly into winter wear as the temperatures drop.
"It's definitely becoming more front of mind as it gets a little colder out," volunteer engagement manager Lauren Stoxen said.
Stoxen said Cradles to Crayons has outfitted dozens of community partners over the years, and in just the last couple months began working with a new one – New Life Centers – which works to find migrants more permanent housing.
"I have been hearing from partners every day, when they come to pick up, that they have more and more families who are coming in and need things from them," Stoxen said.
Stoxen said, as more migrants move into the city, they'll be sending moving more boxes out of their warehouse.
The goal is to give out about 50,000 new coats this winter, and they've already reached the halfway point. From here they are going to be collecting coats in coat drives and they also have an Amazon wish list.
As of Friday morning, more than 17,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last August. A total of more than 10,200 are still staying in city shelters, while more than 3,300 are sleeping at police stations or the city's airports while waiting for a spot in a shelter.
