A long-standing program that provides winter coats to those in need is changing hands.
After 30-years of being run by the United Way, the Salvation Army is taking over Operation Cover Up.
United Way CEO Karen Kirkwood-Whyte says it was time.
“Over the years, United Way’s role in the community has been to identify community need and initiate programs and services to address them,” Kirkwood-Whyte says. “For the last number of decades we’ve had an ‘incubate, nurture, and divest’ philosophy, and after 30 years it’s time to transfer the program over to our great community partner.”
Captain Stephanie Watkinson with the Salvation Army says the change won’t affect the way the service is delivered at all.
“Over the last several years we’ve been partnering with the United Way and we’ve been handling the delivery of the service through our Thrift Store locations,” Watkinson says. “It’s just behind the scenes things that will change that people won’t even notice.”
Since its inception, Operation Cover Up has handed out more than 54,000 coats to those in need in Chatham-Kent.
