LA PLATA, Md. — More than 300 winter coats arrived at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata on Oct. 21, 2025, ensuring Charles County Public Schools students facing cold weather have proper outerwear. The donations, gathered through the Charles County School Bus Contractors Association’s ninth annual Drive Out the Cold Winter Coat Drive and contributions from local groups, target elementary and middle school pupils identified by school staff.
Community school coordinators and pupil personnel workers from across the district converged at the administration building that Tuesday, armed with rosters of students in need, complete with size measurements and notes on preferred colors or styles. Jessica Gray, a pupil personnel worker assigned to Billingsley Elementary School and Matthew Henson Middle School, sorted through bins organized by youth sizes and casual or dressier options. “These coats are not just going to sit in a warehouse and not get used,” Gray said. “These coats will all go to students who will use them.”
The bus contractors association, which coordinates transportation for the district’s roughly 27,000 students across 39 schools, led the effort with support from members including Koch Trucking Inc., D&J Buses and H&H Bus Service. Nearly 300 coats came directly from their drive, held throughout October at collection points near Waldorf and other county hubs. This marks the ninth consecutive year the group has partnered with the schools on the initiative, building on past successes that delivered more than 250 coats in 2023 and over 200 in 2022.
Additional donations bolstered the total from organizations rooted in Southern Maryland’s community fabric. The Southern Maryland Chain Chapter of The Links Inc., a service group focused on empowering women and youth, contributed coats as part of its regional outreach that has aided schools in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties since at least 2023. The Knights of Columbus from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Newport, a longstanding parish in the county’s western reaches, also provided items, echoing their involvement in similar efforts last year alongside the bus contractors.
Pupil personnel workers play a central role in these distributions, serving as liaisons between families, educators and social services to address barriers to learning. Assigned to every school in the district — from Arthur Middleton Elementary in Indian Head to Westlake High School in Waldorf — PPWs handle everything from verifying residency for enrollment to connecting families with resources like food pantries or mental health support. They collaborate with counselors, psychologists and community agencies to ensure students, especially those from low-income households, access essentials that keep them in class. In Charles County, where winter temperatures often dip below freezing from December through February, reliable coats prevent absences tied to weather exposure. For inquiries on PPW services, the district lists contacts by school at its student services page.
Linda Stocks, the supervising pupil personnel worker, oversaw the Oct. 21 sorting and emphasized the drive’s direct impact. While coats addressed an immediate seasonal gap, Stocks noted ongoing needs for basic hygiene items. “Right now, the school system needs toiletries for students,” she said. “Toiletries are often available at schools for students in need of personal hygiene items.” Supplies like shampoo, toothpaste and soap help maintain attendance by supporting daily routines, particularly for the approximately 40 percent of CCPS students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
School officials prioritize personalized fits to boost usage rates. Coordinators cross-reference donation inventories against student profiles, factoring in growth spurts for preteens or style preferences that encourage daily wear. Billingsley Elementary, for instance, serves a diverse enrollment near the Mattawoman Creek area, where families often juggle multiple children and tight budgets amid rising utility costs. Henson Middle School, in a bustling Waldorf corridor, sees similar demands from its 800-plus pupils navigating adolescent wardrobes.
For those wishing to contribute, the schools welcome new or gently used toiletries year-round. Drop-offs can be arranged at individual schools or the administration building at 201 E. Charles St. in La Plata. Direct questions to Stocks at lstocks@ccboe.com or 301-934-7333. Larger-scale donors might explore aligning with the bus association’s next cycle, typically announced in September.
This coat distribution underscores Charles County’s emphasis on equity in education, where geographic isolation from Baltimore or Washington can limit access to urban aid networks. With the county’s population exceeding 170,000 and growing through suburban expansion, initiatives like these bridge gaps for transient or working-class families concentrated in areas like Bryans Road or Hughesville. As November frost sets in, the coats will circulate quickly, freeing warehouse space for upcoming holiday drives focused on blankets and gloves.
In past years, similar efforts have rippled outward. The Links Inc.’s 2023 donation spanned three counties, delivering to over 500 youths amid inflation-driven clothing price hikes of 10 percent. Locally, Stethem Educational Center’s National Technical Honor Society ran a January coat collection in 2024, targeting vocational students in need. These programs align with Maryland’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a 2021 law mandating expanded social services in schools to combat poverty’s learning effects.
District data shows such targeted aid correlates with higher engagement; students receiving uniforms or weather gear miss 20 percent fewer days during inclement weather. PPWs document these trends anonymously, informing annual reports to the state education department. For families new to the area — common given the county’s 2 percent annual growth — resources like the PPW directory simplify navigation.
As winter progresses, CCPS anticipates distributing the coats by mid-November, with follow-ups to confirm fits. The process, from collection to classroom, exemplifies streamlined logistics honed over nearly a decade. Community partners like the bus contractors, who log over 50 million miles annually shuttling students, view it as an extension of their daily role in safe passage.
