Pictured from left: Peggy Lisenbee-Wright, Stephen Possel, both of Combined Community Services, Steve Grashoff of Peerless Cleaner, Kris Lake of WRSW, Jay Michaels of Willie 103.5, Rick Kerlin, owner of Kerlin Motor Co. and Valerie Warner of Kerlin Trailers Motorsports and Western World.
(Photo by John Faulkner)

Since Sept. 22, Kerlin Motor Co. in Silver Lake has been collecting winter coats for its annual coat drive.

For the last 16 years, Kerlin has hosted the coat drive. Donations have grown from year to year, and now the company gets approximately 1,000 pieces of outerwear each year.

The coats are collected at various drop-off spots: Kerlin Motor Co., Kerlin Tractor Sales, both in Silver Lake; Kerlin Trailers Motorsports and Western World, Wildman Business Group, Peerless Cleaners and others. The coats are counted and sorted. The ones that requiring dry cleaning are sent to Peerless Cleaners, the ones needing laundered are sent to Wildman Business Group. They all end up at Combined Community Services for distribution.

This year’s drive ended on Oct. 10. Coats were piled in the Kerlin Motor Co. for the above photo. Val Warner, general manager of Kerlin Trailers Motorsports and Western World, reports 1,342 coats were collected this year.

Warner and Kerlin Motor Co. owner Rick Kerlin came up with the idea for the coat drive. It is made possible by the following sponsors: Wildman Business Group, Peerless Cleaners, WRSW, Willie 103.5.