Virginia Safari Park is gearing up for the 23rd Annual “Coats For Kids” Charity Drive!

Natural Bridge, Virginia – The Virginia Safari Park is looking to keep kids warm this winter and is reaching out to the community for support during its 23rd annual “Coats for Kids” charity drive.

The park is planning to donate all the money raised that day to buy winter coats for kids who need them in the Rockbridge County area. The park gives out brand new winter coats to kids at the county’s four elementary schools: Central, Natural Bridge, Fairfield, and Mountain View.

Over the last 22 years, the Coats for Kids drive has given out more than 3,000 coats and keeps making a real difference in the local community.

“We’ve got school groups visiting right up until now and continuing through to the end of our season.” We noticed quite a few of our local school groups showed up. Every year, there are some kids who end up without coats. It’s pretty clear that it’s cold enough for everyone to need coats, and that really made us think about how we can help our local community. “Absolutely, we never want to see a kid without a coat. The more we can provide, the better our local children can thrive,” said Virginia Safari Park Director Rick Mogensen.

So, after Black Friday, the Safari Park team will get those new coats all bought, wrapped up, and delivered to each school by mid-December, right in time for the Christmas break.

“We usually head out to the local spots to pick up coats.” We really do support our local economy by purchasing the coats right here in the area. The teachers really do a lot for us.

Mogensen mentioned that they try to get as many sizes as possible for the kids they need.

The park’s hours are from 9 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon.