An annual outerwear clothing program that keeps everyone warm is celebrating its tenth anniversary in Cochrane this year.

'Jacket Racket' hosted by Family and Community Support Services is now accepting warm winter wear gear and Halloween costumes for all ages and sexes.

With bins at a few locations, it not only makes it easy to give but also drives awareness, says Annemarie Tocher, FCSS, Resource Centre Coordinator.

"We are collecting gently used winter wear for children and adults, and we will be doing the collection until Thursday the 24th. The bin locations for drop off are Family and Community Support Services, Parent Link Centre, Bow Valley Credit Union, Boys and Girls Club, Safeway, and the Alliance Church. We tend to always need more children's items from infant to in and around twelve years old, and every kind of item from jackets to snow pants to mitts, hats, and boots."

Once all the clean and in-good repair winter gear and costumes have been picked up from the various sites, the public exchange will take place. Set to occur in the foyer of the Cochrane Alliance Church from 10 in the morning until noon on October 26, all are welcome, states Tocher, who stresses privacy is a priority. "Media reps will sometimes come in before we open up the doors to take pictures of the setup, but we like to keep it an open yet closed event."

While Jacket Racket may have been created to support families with limited financial resources, Tocher says it has certainly evolved. "It certainly isn't the only reason people come. We have many families that come that are also very keen to recycle items and are very aware of consumption and environmental issues."

Created out of community demand, Tocher says the Cochrane community has graciously supported the annual event. "We have an incredibly generous community and usually have anywhere from three to four hundred items donated. Last year we provided items to roughly 117 adults and 91 children."

More than just an opportunity to pick up some winter clothing, Tocher says the emphasis is on creating a fun, unique shopping experience for all guests. "We booked our deejay again for this year, and we always have snacks for people and coffee for adults. We always have an activity for children to do as well. We find that it is a nice bonus for families as well, while they shop."

While the exchange usually leaves a few leftover items, they never go to waste. "We often have a little more adult items than we need, but we work with the Morley community, as well as, the Activettes to redistribute the extra items to folks."

If you would like more information on Jacket Racket, call Tocher at 403-851-2259.