Coats 4 Kids is an annual program that allows Colvin Cleaners to give back to the community in a way that WNYorkers desperately need -- by giving the gift of warmth.

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Originally, Capitol Cleaners, based out of the Niagara Falls region, put on the Coats 4 Kids program.  Joe Petrozzi, owner of Capitol Cleaners, started the program in the 1960s when he looked out the window of his dry-cleaning shop in Niagara Falls one frigid winter day in 1966 and saw two youngsters walking to school in light jackets, and it touched his heart.

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“I asked some of my customers if they had any children who outgrew their coats and jackets,” he told Buffalo News reporter Denise Jewell Gee in 2007. “I had a bunch of people give me some coats. So when I’d see these kids come down the street, I would make them come in the store, and I would put a jacket on them," said Joe. 

 

In the mid-1990s, dry cleaning partners, including Capitol Cleaners and Colvin Cleaners, associated with the National Cleaner's Association, came together to put on the Coats 4 Kids program. The mission was to collect and clean coats and other winter items, then distribute those items back to the community to families who could otherwise not afford them. 

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After many years of partnership in the Coats 4 Kids program, unfortunately, Joe Petrozzi passed away in June 2023. We are grateful for the years of partnership, leadership, and compassion that Joe provided to our community.

 

Now, Capitol Cleaners continues its Coats 4 Kids efforts in Niagara County. And Colvin Cleaners continues the legacy of Coats 4 Kids across the rest of WNY, from Jamestown to Lockport.

 

"Giving back to the WNY community, especially with an amazing program like Coats 4 Kids, is at the heart of our organization," said Paul Billoni, President and Owner of Colvin Cleaners. 

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To learn more about Coats 4 Kids and how you can support the program, click here.