Knights of Columbus councils around the world kicked off their annual Coats for Kids initiative this week, purchasing and distributing hundreds of thousands of coats.
Knights of Columbus Council #12572, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, met in St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen on Friday to kick off its local campaign. The group was led by KOC State Deputy Michael Kish and Brian Hallock, Master of Fourth Degree Knights from the Central District.
“You could go anywhere in the state and find a council that does things like this,” Kish said of the coat drive.
The coats were purchased with the help of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, which matches coat purchases from local councils.
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The Knights of Columbus in Scranton hands out coats at the local Catholic charity, St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen.
(Fox News (Timothy HJ Nerozzi))
“The goal of the Coats for Kids program is to ensure that no child in North America is left without a coat during the winter season,” the Knights of Columbus says of the initiative on its website. “Thanks to the dedication of councils in the United States and Canada, hundreds of thousands of new winter coats have been distributed to children since the program’s inception.”
After the soup kitchen, the knights hiked the Lackawanna River Public Trail, where homeless encampments have become increasingly common. The group of about a dozen volunteers marched along jogging trails and under the city’s bridges to hand out winter gear.
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St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton, Pennsylvania
(Fox News (Timothy HJ Nerozzi))
“They call this area ‘tent city,'” Hallock said. “Sometimes kids walk into the gas station and you ask them where they live and they say ‘under the bridge.’ It’s sad.”
Hallock has been with the KOC for more than 12 years. His father, William Hallock, is the high knight of the council.
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Fr. iichael J. McGivney as a charitable missionary group. Pope John Paul II called the group “the strong right arm” of the Catholic Church for its direct action in missionary and charity work.
The group rose to national prominence at the turn of the century with the slogan “All Welcome, All Free” to reflect their focus on works of mercy.
The Knights of Columbus is seeing a healthy increase in membership after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered churches and halted council meetings, Kish says.
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Scranton Council of Knights of Columbus walks public trails handing out coats to homeless youth
(Fox News (Timothy HJ Nerozzi))
Kish is assisted by his wife Colleen Kish, who runs a program called ASAP: Help and Support After Pregnancy. The group provides material and personal support to mothers struggling during and after childbirth.
“In January, we have a first birthday,” Colleen Kish told Fox News Digital. “We can’t stop helping after they’re born.”
The youngest of the group on Friday was 15-year-old Arthur “Primo” Bobbouine. He has been serving with the Knights of Columbus since he was a boy.
“You have to be 18 to join, so I just stay and help out,” he told Fox News Digital, brandishing a KOC logo on his hat. Arthur Bobbouine became involved with the group by following his father, community director Art Bobbouine.
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Scranton Council of Knights of Columbus walks public trails handing out coats to homeless youth
(Fox News (Timothy HJ Nerozzi))
“I was probably 4 or 5 years old,” Bobbouine said of his start with the group. I have always helped at dinners.
Kish says their parents’ examples get the kids involved in the Knights of Columbus and charitable work in general.
“They see their parents doing this job: the man is the spiritual head of the family,” Kish said. “Being a leader is not just telling people what to do. Part of that is putting them in service to help others. Young people need examples.”
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Graffiti under a bridge on the Lackawanna Trail in Scranton, Pennsylvania
(Fox News (Timothy HJ Nerozzi))
The Knights of Columbus has 1.7 million members in approximately 14,000 councils around the world. There are councils in Canada, Poland, Japan and more.
