Post: LEE COUNTY AGENCIES TEAM UP FOR THIRD ANNUAL COAT DRIVE

LEE COUNTY (November 6, 2025) – The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Helping Families Initiative, and United Way of Lee County have teamed up once again for their third annual coat drive & Bundle Up Boutique to make sure that everyone in Lee County is warm this winter.

In March of this year, they did a smaller coat drive focused on collecting children’s coats as parents were cleaning out closets for the summer. The main coat drive ran throughout the month of October, with drop-off locations at Auburn Bank, Auburn Police Dept., Auburn Public Library, Lee County Courthouse, Lee County Justice Center, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Opelika Police Dept., Opelika Public Library, and United Way of Lee County.

This is the third year these local agencies have teamed up for this annual coat drive, which was started based on the idea of a Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Each year, it is truly a community effort, with all of the coats donated by community members to help those in need. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones expressed his appreciation for the generosity of the community. “Lee County folks are among the most generous you will find. When a need is recognized, they stand to help”, he remarked. “The Coat Drive is an example of our community working to assist those who are less fortunate. Being involved in this effort with our public safety partners and community agencies to provide for others is an honor.”

Over 850 coats were collected over the course of the 2025 coat drive and were distributed to 212 families.

The distribution for the coat drive, called Bundle Up Boutique, was a pop-up, free coat shopping experience hosted at Opelika Public Library on November 5 and 6. The Bundle Up Boutique allowed community members who need a coat and are unable to afford one to stop by and choose a coat that is the best fit for themselves and/or their child. Clothing racks were generously donated by Harvest Evangelism to allow for a more store-like shopping experience. Volunteers from the community helped to sort, hang, and lay out the coats.

For more information about the coat drive and how you can get involved in 2026, visit leecountysheriff.org or e-mailcommunityrelations@leecountysheriff.org.