In the school year of 2007 and 2008, the school helped Good Morning America's coat drive.

In January 2011 they sponsored a month-long coat drive in Lafayette, Louisiana for local children.

Last year, its first, the coat drive collected 10,000 used but wearable overcoats, jackets and parkas for adults and children.

Ms. Thornton-Lucas also organizes a coat drive and had plenty of warm coats and clothes on hand to distribute to those who needed them.

And in this season of coat drives and food baskets, who would disagree?

The fourth annual coat drive begins tomorrow.

These are not clothes collected at a coat drive.

New York Cares - which, among other things, operates a coat drive next month - had a different security problem.

It also solicits for other charities, like coat drives, food drives and Valentine's Day cards for the elderly.

"We have a coat drive on Thanksgiving, and if there are unclaimed coats, we'll donate them to Goodwill," Ms. Bissell said.