Having somewhere to call home. Owning a warm winter coat. Staying warm during the winter season. Some U.S. Army Veterans do not have these luxuries that most people take for granted.

The Lake County Veteran’s Assistance Commission is organizing a coat drive, Operation Stand Down, to collect coats for homeless veterans throughout Lake County, according to Mark Frey, school resource officer. 

“We’ll be gathering coats from now until October 2, which is the [varsity] football game against Stevenson,” Frey said.

Collection boxes will be placed in the school as well as other areas in the Lake Zurich community.

“There’s going to be a box outside of the gymnasium. It’s going to be wrapped in yellow wrapping paper so it’s going to be hard to miss. There’s also one at the Lake Zurich Police Station [and] the American Legion Hall,” Frey said. “On October 2, at the football game against Stevenson, there’ll be one at each entrance [to the field.]”

However, the drive is not just for adults in need of winter coats.

“The coat drive doesn’t just have to be for adults, because obviously veterans have families too. So it can be gently used kids’ clothes. Hats, gloves, scarves, it doesn’t have to be just coats,” Frey said. “Anything that you would think a veteran that doesn’t have a warm place in the winter would need.”

Schools all throughout the county are also participating as well, each having their own collection day. The more warm clothing received at each drive, the better. No coats will go unused, according to Frey.

“Collection is on October 21 at the Veteran’s Assistance Commission in Waukegan. Once we gather up up all of the coats from our coat drive, we’ll get them to the office and they’ll display them out for the veterans,” Frey said. “Any unused coats go to other organizations that might be in need, like Goodwill.”