The Junior Auxiliary of Picayune will be hosting a winter coat giveaway today at Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library.

Members of the club will be giving away the coats at the Goodyear Boulevard entrance of the library from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. or while supplies last.

“This will be the second coat giveaway that our provisional class will be hosting in the last couple of weeks,” President of the Junior Auxiliary of Picayune Jennifer Cutrer said. “When our provisional class put out the boxes for donations, we received an overwhelming response from the community, so we decided to give away half of the coats in November and the other half (on Jan. 11).”

During the first coat giveaway, children of all ages took advantage of the opportunity to receive a coat.

“Everyone was grateful for the service we provided, especially the children,” Cutrer said.

A provisional class provides first-year students an opportunity to learn about Junior Auxiliary of Picayune and what it is the club does for the community. Each class has to come up with its own idea for a project that will help members of the community and at the end in April three participants are picked to become active members.

The Junior Auxiliary of Picayune has been active since 1967 and is one of 93 chapters across the Southeast.

“Our main focus is working for the welfare of children in the community,” Cutrer said. “The biggest event we hold is a yearly Christmas party, where children who live in a foster home get to enjoy fun activities such as cookie decorating, having a picture with Santa Claus and receiving a food basket. The children also receive a Christmas present.”

For more information about the Junior Auxiliary of Picayune, visit the Facebook page or send an email to jaofpicayune@gmail.com

“We are always accepting donations and we always looking for girls to join our program,” Cutrer said.