Carbon County Association of Realtors hosted its second annual Free Coat Drive on Saturday at Zion United Church of Christ, Second and Iron streets, Lehighton.

Nearly 70 coats, for children through adult were distributed to anyone who needed a coat, noted Kim Rabenold, who had organized the event. She was assisted at the distribution site by Paula Fritzinger and Rita Spinelli."The Pennsylvania Association has a program to reach out in the month of October," said Rabenold. "We participated in that for a few years."She said that in the past she had spoken to school nurses who had told her that she knew a lot of kids who did not have a coat."There are usually two to three kids in every classroom who does not have a warm, winter coat," she said. "That's how this program began."She said that there seemed to be a bigger turnout for coats last year when the drive was held at Jacob's Church in Weissport."We decided to move it here because they also have a food pantry," she said.Last the coat drive distributed about 100 gently worn coats to needy families.