Adna 9-year-old, Delaney Spencer, talks about her motivation to start a coat drive for needy kids on Monday afternoon the Centralia Christian Church.
Delaney Spencer, 9, Adna, explains how she thought of the idea to start a coat drive on Monday afternoon at the Centralia Christian Church. Spencer has already received 9 donated coats.
While standing next to her mother, Amy, Adna 9-year-old, Delaney Spencer, explains how she came up with the idea to start a coat drive on Monday at the Centralia Christian Church.
Feeling inspired from a church service last week, 9-year-old Delaney Spencer decided to start a winter coat drive for needy children and adults around Lewis County.
With help from her mother, Amy Spencer, Delaney reached out to the Lewis County Gospel Mission in Chehalis, which agreed to collect coats for the drive.
“She was really quiet the rest of the church service and the rest of the way home,” Amy Spencer said. “I asked her, ‘What are you thinking about?’”
Delaney Spencer, a fourth-grader at Adna Elementary School, was planning her winter coat drive. Along with the Gospel Mission, she also organized collection sites at her school and Adna middle and high schools, as well at as her church, Centralia First Christian Church.
“My pastor told me a story about a girl who raised more than $7,000 and bought a lot of bikes for handicapped people,” Delaney Spencer said. “I thought, ‘What if you could collect coats for kids that couldn’t afford them or for adults?’”
Amy Spencer sent out Facebook messages to friends and family to get the coat drive started. Already, Delaney Spencer has collected more than 10 coats.
She hopes to collect more than 100 coats by Sunday, Dec. 19, which is the same day Adna High School will have its Christmas program.
“It would be really nice to have more than 100 coats,” Delaney Spencer said. “That way, more people would have coats and they wouldn’t be cold.”
All the coats collected will go to the Lewis County Gospel Mission to be given to needy children and adults in the county.
“Hopefully, we help the mission burst at the seams this winter,” Amy Spencer said.
With the winter coat drive drawing attention this year, Delaney Spencer is already planning future drives for socks, gloves or other winter wear people may need. Delaney Spencer said she hopes her efforts inspire other kids to volunteer their time and give back.
“It would be really cool to help other kids to say, ‘I can be the person I want to be,’” she said.
