BLACKFOOT — In its seventh winter of collecting donated coats to distribute to people in need across East Idaho, the charitable organization Wall of Warmth has set an ambitious goal for its 2023 coat drive: to give away 8,000 coats.
To reach that goal, coat collection has already started and been well underway since mid-October. Through Nov. 22, people in the East Idaho community can donate any clean, gently used coats at one of 54 designated drop-off boxes placed at various locations across the region. The specific locations are listed below.
From Nov. 14 to 25, the Walls of Warmth will be set up at their designated locations, also listed below, where dozens of free coats will be displayed and people who need a winter coat or know someone who does can go to pick one out.
The Wall of Warmth started in 2017 and has since expanded to nine East Idaho cities, including Preston, Pocatello, Driggs, Shelley, Idaho Falls, Rigby, Rexburg, St. Anthony and Blackfoot, which the project added to its list in 2020.
Dr. Jeff Williams, a chiropractor at Streamline Chiropractic, was “instrumental” in setting up the Pocatello wall, according to the Wall of Warmth organization.
In its first year, the project gave away about 600 coats. Last year in 2022, they gave away more than 7,000 coats. Valorie Blanchard, founder of Wall of Warmth, said she’s been surprised by the success of the project, but she attributes that success to the “amazing” community support it’s gotten over the years.
Blanchard is a realtor with Idaho’s Real Estate in Rexburg. She said she was inspired to start the Wall of Warmth after the East Idaho community gave her such a warm welcome when she entered the real estate business here.
“I just really wanted to give back to the community because I had just started real estate and the community was so good to me,” Blanchard said. “I felt like I’ve been very blessed and so I wanted to give back to the community. I ended up just going out to my clients and getting 600 coats. I had no idea that there was such a need for this. I just knew that we’re cold here.”
Blanchard said while she started this coat donation project by herself, the effort has grown to include many community partners who help ensure the Wall of Warmth runs smoothly and reaches as many people as possible each year.
One of those partners is Brad Hall Companies, whose employees organize and display the donated coats on the Wall of Warmth fences in each participating community. Volunteers from JustServe also help to maintain the Walls of Warmth, making sure that anyone who needs a coat will have access to one.
“I did this for the first four years by myself,” Blanchard said. “We assembled the coats in my front room. My family put them together and I had piles that were four feet high everywhere in my front room. You couldn’t even walk through and it would take us three weeks to put the coats together.”
Blanchard estimated as of Nov. 1 that the coat drive was already halfway to its goal of 8,000 coats. They will continue accepting coats until Nov. 25.
She said there are “so many” donation locations this year, and they’re “just trying to push it really hard” so they can get enough coats assembled for the wall.
“We really just want this to be something that will impact a lot of people,” she said. “I love to work at the walls and restock the walls because then you get to talk to the people and hear their stories. I’ve heard so many heartfelt stories. A lot of times I hear it’s either that the little kids get a coat or they get a toy for Christmas. I don’t want anybody going without a toy. I want kids to have a coat and a toy. So, if I can help parents take off that burden of getting a coat and keeping the kids warm, I love it. It just makes me so happy.”
Below are the drop-off and Wall of Warmth locations for this season. For more information, visit https://wallofwarmth.com/ or find the organization on Facebook at TheWallofWarmth-EastIdaho.
Drop-off locations:
POCATELLO: Just 4 Kids Urgent Care, Lowes, Streamline Chiropractic, Good 2 Go Convenience Store, University Bible Church, Grace Lutheran School, Portneuf District Library, Indian Hills Elementary School, Albertsons, and C-A-L Ranch Store, HUX Custom Gun Shop, Teton Honda
BLACKFOOT: Bingham Healthcare ER, Tadd Jenkins Dodge, C-A-L Ranch Stores, Good 2 Go, Bingham Ag Main Store, Bingham Ag C-Store, Bingham Ag Farm Store
SHELLEY: Good 2 Go Convenience Store, Broulim’s
IDAHO FALLS: Action Motor Sports, C-A-L Ranch Stores, Broulim’s, Good 2 Go Convenience Stores, Just 4 Kids Urgent Care, Brad Hall Companies, Idaho Falls Ice Rink, Albertsons West Side, Austin Kade Academy
UCON: Good 2 Go Convenience Store
RIGBY: Tadd Jenkins Chevrolet, Good 2 Go Convenience Stores, Broulim’s, Speedy CPS, Scotty’s True Value, Local Churches
REXBURG: Just 4 Kids Urgent Care, Idaho’s Real Estate, City of Rexburg, C-A-L Ranch Store, Good 2 Go Convenience Store, Broulims, and Valley Wide Country Store
ST. ANTHONY: Broulim’s
DRIGGS: Broulim’s, Tetonia City Building, Victor City Building
Wall of Warmth locations:
POCATELLO: Lewis & Clark Elementary and Alameda Middle School fence (Alameda Road)
POCATELLO: 151 N 4th Ave. (in the Streamline Chiropractic parking lot)
BLACKFOOT: N. Meridian Street (directly across from C-A-L Ranch Store)
SHELLEY: Dean Goodsell Elementary School fence (185 W Center St off HWY 91)
IDAHO FALLS: Lincoln Road (west of Action Motor Sports)
IDAHO FALLS: Civitan Park 900 W. Elva/Riverside Dr. (one block North of IF Temple)
RIGBY: Rigby South Park (around rodeo grounds)
REXBURG: 1218 Bond Ave. (behind Just for Kids Urgent Care)
ST ANTHONY: TBD
DRIGGS: 445 North Main St.