ALLENTOWN, Pa. – November in the Lehigh Valley means three things: football, Thanksgiving, and the WFMZ-TV Coat Drive!
We are once again partnering with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to collect new and gently used coats.
Last year, more than 1,300 coats were donated. One special young boy got one of them.
It’s great to be a kid, and for 6-year-old Noah Kern, right now, life is pretty good. Noah plays with his pal, Chip, in the Schnecksville backyard of the home his family moved into over the summer.
And even better, Noah’s just been adopted by Adam and Nicole Kern.
The Kerns have a lot to be thankful for.
“He’s growing like a weed. He’s 6 years old, and we’re putting him in (size) 10/12’s,” his father Adam said.
Last year, as a foster child, Noah received a new coat from the WFMZ/Lehigh Valley Phantoms Coat Drive.
Now, his family is hoping to snap up a new one.
“Noah has been a huge blessing to us. And the support that we’ve received is life-changing. Not only for us, but for him,” Nicole Kern said.
Coats are donated to the Salvation Army and include people in programs like children’s services, foster care and the adoption program.
“That kind of kindness just puts some wind in our sails. It allows us to stay encouraged and know that there are people behind us. So that’s what it’s meant for us,” said Adam.
The Kern family encourages everyone to donate.
“It encourages us because it doesn’t feel like we’re in it alone. It feels like there is greater collective of people who are supporting us,” said Nicole.
A warm coat, protecting a warm heart.
If you want to donate any new or gently used coats, stop by the PPL Center in Allentown on Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
If you can’t make it during the evening, drop boxes will be set up inside the main entrance from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day.
There are also donation bins now set up in the vestibule of the PPL Center, at the Steel Ice Center in Bethlehem, and at Shankweiler’s Drive-in in North Whitehall Township.
Copyright 2026 Maranatha Broadcasting Co., Inc.. All Rights Reserved.