Members of Knights of Columbus Council 10157 at Saint Raphael Parish in St. Petersburg have traditionally done what many councils do during the holiday season – buy a couple of cases of jackets for “Coats for Kids.” However, this year, under the direction of our Grand Knight, Bob Hargrove, we decided to invite our parishioners to get involved as well.

We showed a short video of children receiving jackets from other councils and highlighted four parishes most in need. We then humbly asked parishioners for help. To facilitate giving, we set up signs with QR codes that linked parishioners directly to a donate button.

Our goal was to provide 400 jackets to our community. Through the overwhelming generosity of our parishioners, we were able to purchase over 1,000 jackets and add a fifth parish that we were able to assist!  

We coordinated with the priests, sisters, and Knights at each parish to deliver jackets together. We saw the smiles and witnessed first-hand the difference it made helping children in need. This act of giving has inspired us to do more.

We thank the parishioners for providing the funds to purchase the coats. Through their generosity, the Knights of our council were able to touch more than 1,000 lives.

The Coats for Kids campaign provided an unexpected benefit – it inspired several men in our parish who saw us involved in hands-on service. They were moved to step forward and say, “I’d like to become a Knight.”

This experience taught us that if you ask, people will respond. If you directly help in your community, the gift you are giving will not only be for the people you are helping but also for yourself. You will be inspired to do more.  

We are now working with a mission in Tampa, hoping to make a difference in their community. Our former spiritual advisor, Father Kevin Makin, OFM said, “Do all you can, for whomever you can, as long as you can, because you can.”  These are words for all to live by.  

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