Local Knights of Columbus Chapter Donates Coats to Edwardsville Riverbend Head Start

EDWARDSVILLE - Kids at Riverbend Head Start and Family Services will stay warm this winter thanks to a coat donation by the Edwardsville Knights of Columbus.

The Knights of Columbus donated six boxes of coats to the Edwardsville Riverbend Head Start on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. The coats will be given to kids who do not have winter clothing so they can play outside and stay warm as temperatures drop.

“We are totally a charitable organization,” explained Chuck Burcham with the Knights of Columbus. “We were founded on charity. We’ve been that way ever since.”

Burcham, Steve Edwards, Paul Pizzini and David Green, all members of the Knights of Columbus, delivered the donation to Riverbend Head Start. They explained that 350 Edwardsville K of C members collected the funds needed to purchase the coats.

The “Coats for Kids” initiative is a mainstay for Knights of Columbus organizations across the country. Green said that the local K of C chapter decided Riverbend Head Start was “the best” place to donate locally.

“One of our tenets is charity,” Green said. “Well, who can’t use help?”

Located at 710 N. Main Street, the Edwardsville Riverbend Head Start has a preschool program for kids under 5. They work with income-eligible families from the prenatal stage until the child enters kindergarten to provide resources, education and childcare.

With all the Riverbend Head Start headquarters in the region combined, the agency serves over 500 kids. Sammie Nuemeister with Riverbend Head Start noted that the coats will go to local kids who need them. She expressed her appreciation to the Knights of Columbus for their support in the community.

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“It means a lot. Our organization will be able to pass out coats to kids that might not even have them,” Nuemeister said, adding, “In Edwardsville here, they’re awesome. They help us out a lot.”

For more information about Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, visit their official website at RiverbendFamilies.org or their Facebook page. Check out the Edwardsville Knights of Columbus chapter website for details about their work and how to become a member.

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