A few hours after temperatures bottomed out at minus 6 with 26 below wind chills late last week, United Way of Mower County volunteer Michelle Meiergerd dropped off a delivery of winter coats to Austin High School’s coat closet.

The coats will be given to students in need identified by AHS staff, and this year the United Way is seeing a greater need than ever for winter coats.

“I can’t believe the demand,” Meiergerd said as she dropped off the coats.

Though the first official day of winter isn’t until Wednesday, the United Way’s annual coat drive has already distributed a record 420 coats, far above the roughly 250 given out the entire 2015-16 winter. 

“We have had an overwhelming amount of requests,” Executive Director Diane Baker said.

Kayleen St. Louis, the United Way’s project coordinator, said those requests could near 500 this season.

Part of the program’s growth can be traced to last year, when the United Way changed its coat drive distribution. Coats used to be distributed at Oak Park Mall on one day a year over a matter of hours, but the United Way left one year with many coats that weren’t given out and staff feared people couldn’t make the distribution window work. 

So last year, the United Way changed the program and began working with officials at Mower County schools, often the success coaches, to target the drive on children and teens.  

“We just started working directly with the schools and success coaches and saying, Hey, you guys help us identify those kids in need, and we’ll get the coats to them where they are,” Baker said. 

The program is partnering with all Mower County schools, Head Start, the Community Learning Center, and with Mower County’s County Connections.

Austin High School’s coat program features two coat racks in a high school staff break room, one for boys and one for girls.

“We have a little different system,” said Carla Conradt, an AHS success coach who works with the program. 

Students referred to the program are simply brought to the coat room and can pick out a jacket they like; it’s a very discreet program. 

“It works really well for us to have this system,” Conradt said, noting it’s a low-key offering with a variety of sizes. 

When the need arises for a coat of a size not in stock, staff will make a request to the United Way. The United Way has received more than 200 donated coats this year, along with monetary donations. The money works well because the United Way is able to use those donations to get the exact coats needed, and St. Louis gets deals from some retailers to get discounted coats. 

Conradt noted the program is especially good for the high school, because teens often don’t wear proper coats. 

“I think teenagers are notorious for not dressing properly,” she said. 

However, the coat closet serves a key role for those not accustomed to Minnesota winters. With the district’s increase in newcomers to Minnesota, Conradt said they’ve seen new populations caught off guard by the state’s extreme weather. 

“We’ve seen a spike in requests for coats that correlates with the extreme weather,” she said. 

High school staff was thankful for the support received through the coats.

“It’s only through the great donations and generosity of the public we’re able to offer these coat racks,” Conradt said. 

But it’s not just Austin High School. Across the community, the United Way has seen increased needs, as poverty is up about 18.5 percent. 

“We just know that the need is out there,” St. Louis said. 

This year’s coat drive is far from over. 

“As long as the need exists and we have funds, we’re going to continue to distribute coats,” Baker said.   

The United Way’s annual campaign runs into next year, and Baker called on people to continue their support.

“Continue to support the United Way,” Baker said. “We’re working to make an impact and we need everyone’s support.”

Baker noted the United Way is looking for investment volunteers to help determine what programs are supported. 

“It’s a great opportunity for someone in the community to learn about the programs and the work that we’re doing and then help us make those decisions,” Baker said. 

The number of requests keep increasing. And while the campaign is increasing too, Baker noted it’s not matching the level of the requests, so community support is important to determine where the money is used.