Winter will be a little warmer for hundreds of Central Unified School District kids who received new coats and spiritwear sweaters on Wednesday.
The cold-weather gear was made possible by grants from Granville Homes and Pacific Farm Management to the Foundation for Central Schools. This is the 15th year that Granville Homes, which is donating $15,000, has supported the Coats for Kids program. The foundation also received a $5,000 grant from Pacific Farm Management.

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Darius Assemi, president and CEO of Granville Homes, and Ahmed Mike Alamari from Pacific Farm Management joined foundation board members, district administrators, and School Board trustees in distributing 947 new coats and outerwear to students at McKinley Elementary School.

Superintendent Grateful for Donations

Central Unified Superintendent Andy Alvarado said the donated clothing makes a big difference in the lives of many kids in the district.

“More than 70% of our Central Unified students confront food insecurity and often cannot afford winter clothes and jackets. Lacking these basic necessities can often impede student learning,” Alvarado said. “Thanks to the support of Mr. Assemi of Granville and Mr. Alamari of Pacific Farm Management, many of our students will face one less hurdle as they attend school.
“I’m also grateful to the Foundation for Central Schools and its outgoing board members for all of their hard work in securing and distributing the coats to all of our school sites.”