In an effort to make sure that every child has a warm coat this winter, students at the Boutwell Early Childhood Center, North Intermediate School, Shawsheen Elementary, Wildwood Early Childhood, and Woburn Street School in Wilmington are doing their part to help those most in need by participating in Anton’s Cleaners 18th annual Coats for Kids drive, which runs through January 12, 2013.

Over 200 schools are participating in the coat drive throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. These dedicated Wilmington students have been collecting coats which will be donated to the Coats for Kids program. Each year, participating schools collect nearly half of all the coats donated. The efforts of local students are crucial to the success of Coats for Kids.

“The dedication of our students has always been one of the keys to the success of Coats for Kids,” says Charles A. Anton, President of Anton’s Cleaners. “Their commitment stems from the knowing that some of their own neighbors may well be in need of a warm coat, and they work very hard to make sure no one has to be cold this winter.”

All of the elementary and middle schools that have registered for the drive are eligible to compete in the School Rewards Program, which awards valuable prizes to the three elementary and three middle schools that collect the most coats based per student.

Since its inception in 1995, Coats for Kids distributed over 744,000 coats.

Once collected, coats will be cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners and distributed through the Coats for Kids Distribution Partners network, which includes organizations such as Massachusetts Community Action Programs (MASSCAP), The Salvation Army, Boston University Medical Center Outreach Van Project, The Wish Project, Community Giving Tree, Catholic Charities, Community Teamwork Inc, and Rosie’s Place, to name just a few. FOX25, Jordan’s Furniture, Jam’n 94.5, Wicked Local and KISS-108 are providing promotional support for Coats for Kids.

Schools wishing to participate in Coats for Kids, which will be collecting gently-worn coats through January 12, 2013, can register online at http://www.antons.com/cfk/register.html, or by calling Stephanie Littlefield at 978-851-3721 or email at stephanie@antons.com.

Anton’s Cleaners is a family-owned, Massachusetts business that first opened its doors in Lowell, MA, in 1913. The company has 41 dry cleaning stores throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. For locations visit www.antons.com.