Coat, mitten donations warm hearts

All last month, piles of children's coats stacked up in the warehouse behind Detail Kitchens in Arlington Heights, along with their custom cabinetry.

The unusual inventory came by way of Living Christ Lutheran Church members in Arlington Heights -- Detail Kitchen owners George and Arlene Schiestel are members -- who purchased the winter outerwear for families served through Wheeling Township's general assistance fund.

On Saturday, church members will gather in their fellowship hall for their annual "Christmas in November" celebration.

That's when parents and children will work together to match up donated hats and mittens with the coats, as well as assemble gift bags filled with toiletries, all for needy families.

"It's such a fun evening," Arlene Schiestel said, "and so much fun to get together for such a good cause. It gives people a nice warm feeling to be able to help other people."

Church members donate the toiletries all year long for the holiday assembly, while they receive a $1,000 donation from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to purchase the new children's jackets.

Though they will never see the children on the other end who receive them, Wheeling Township officials assure them the families are grateful.

"These are families who are truly in need," said Thelma Talamantes, Wheeling Township general assistance director. "They come to us for food and financial aid, and as we meet with them, we see the need."

Talamantes adds that when the families receive the new coats, this year all purchased from Land's End on sale, they are thrilled.

"They are always much nicer than anything they could afford," Talamantes said. "They cannot believe there are such generous people who do this."

This year, Living Christ members will gather for the first time in their new addition, which includes a state-of-the-art kitchen. As part of the festivities, members will be baking cut-out cookies with their new appliances to be decorated for local nursing homes and Chicago Uptown Ministry, which church members also support.