OKC Metro Man Working To Get New Coats For Those In Need

As winter temperatures continue to be more frequent, it is important to get coats to the people that really need them.  

“All these things are to help others in need, to help others who need things like a warm coat in the winter,” former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, who volunteers regularly to feed the homeless, said.

The Order of Malta supplies new coats for the homeless, but these are no ordinary coats. They are coats designed with the homeless community in mind. 

“A waterproof coat with a hood. It’s got Velcro instead of zippers, so that people with bad tactile response can use them,” said Peter deKeratry, organizer for coats for the homeless. 

The coats also have plenty of pockets on the inside and the outside for storage and they are one size fits all. 

Perter and his group the Order of Malta ordered over 3,000 coats. Now, they are planning to ship them all over the country 

“We shipped 500 coats to Washington D.C. We sent five 500 to the west coast to Los Angeles and San Jose, (California),” deKeratry said. “We sent about 400 to Chicago, Philadelphia.”

The majority of the coats are given out here in Oklahoma City in preparation for coming winter. 

“Hopefully, this coat will be a way them to be much, much warmer through those coldest winter months,” said deKeratry. 

The group plans to give out the coats throughout the winter season in hopes of giving much needed protection to those experiencing homelessness.