Foster Foundation’s Spread the Warmth Campaign Continues to Grow

In the winter months, the Foster Foundation hosts the Spread the Warmth campaign, which collects gently used coats and re-distributes them to families and children who need them. This initiative began in the cold months of 2019 when Jennifer Bryant-Foster was visiting a local school and noticed there were children who were not able to participate in recess due to not having a warm coat. She proceeded to text, email and call her friends asking if anyone had any extra coats to donate. When she returned home, she found over 25 coats on her front porch. By the end of the year, she had collected, washed and distributed 400 coats for the first ever Spread the Warmth campaign.

In the 2024 season, the Spread the Warmth campaign has continued to grow, with almost 6,000 coats being donated from our local community. Foster Fuels provides collection boxes at all their facilities year-round, and many businesses in and surrounding Lynchburg have volunteered to keep boxes in their establishments to provide convenient access to drop-off locations for everyone. The coats from donations have benefited over 30 schools and 21 charities who are able to give them to those who need them. There are even people in the community who knit and crochet hats and scarves just to donate them to the campaign!