BATON ROUGE - As winter approaches and temperatures begin to drop in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, an annual drive that provides children with much-needed warm clothing kicks off.

Pat's Coats for Kids, spearheaded by WBRZ's long-time weatherman, Pat Shingleton, ensures that area schoolchildren have the coats they need to stay warm during the frigid winter months.

This year, the annual drive culminated with Distribution Day on Friday, December 3.

On Distribution Day, a large storage pod was delivered to the parking lot of WBRZ Channel 2 News Studio so that dozens of coats that have yet to be distributed can be transported to the children and families who need them.  

After 33 years of annual drives, Pat's Coats for Kids has purchased nearly 270,000 coats and distributed them to 135 area schools.

Members of the community are always welcome to participate by donating to the cause.

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