Valerie Bean smiles with a donated coat at the winter coat drive drop-off bin at the Tupper Lake Public Library on Wednesday. (Provided photo — Courtney Carey)

TUPPER LAKE — The Family Matters Resource Center and the Tupper Lake Public Library have teamed up again for the third year in a row to put on a winter coat drive.

New, gently-used and like-new children’s winter gear is being accepted now through Oct. 31 at three drop-off locations in Tupper Lake: The Family Matters Resource Center at 40 Marion St., the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library at 41 Lake St. and Spruce and Hemlock at 111 Park St. during each location’s regular hours.

Spruce and Hemlock is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Family Matters is open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. The Tupper Lake Public Library is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Family Resource Center Coordinator Beth Cassell said that last year’s drive was a resounding success, helping to outfit 48 families with winter gear, including 68 kids and 27 adults. She’s hoping to put up similar numbers this year, but is a bit worried about where things stand now.

“I’ve got to be honest,” she said. “It seems like our donations are down quite a bit this year so far, especially for kids’ items.”

Cassell said there have been lots of hats and glove donations so far, but that boots, jackets and snowpants continue to be needed, and are in high demand. She encouraged people to tell friends and family about the drive and is hoping to finish the month with a strong push, knowing how much of an impact people’s generosity made last year.

“The economy has been a bit rough lately with the rising price of food and gas,” she said. “Families were really appreciative to have these items. It can be extremely expensive to outfit a child in full winter gear — and it’s desperately needed when you’re living up here.”

The expense is compounded by the fact that children are always growing, Cassell said, adding that families might be hesitant to buy certain types of winter gear if they’re financially constrained and know that the child will likely outgrow it by the next season. She said this is where the coat drive can make a big difference.

“Families were extremely excited to be able to come and get items that their children needed,” she said. “We had several families with multiple children who had sudden growth spurts and items from the previous year that did not fit them anymore.”

She said many of the donations are articles of winter gear that were previously donated, put to use, outgrown, and then returned for future donations.

Cassell added that although it may seem obvious what clothes are needed for winter to people who’ve spent considerable time in the Adirondacks, many families who are helped by the drive have recently moved to the region.

“We’ve had people who have moved up here from other areas with warmer climates who were pretty shocked at the cold weather,” she said. “I mean, you can tell people, but until you experience an Adirondack winter, it’s something else.”

Cassell said the pickup window is currently slated for Nov. 5 to 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Family Matters Resource Center, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 8 at the same location. She said people can always reach out via email at bcassell@ccccnc.org or by phone at 518-359-8167 to set up a pickup time outside of those hours if they are busy then.