2.20.2008 - 08:00am ET

(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 20, 2008 - One Warm Coat, the only national non-profit organization supporting local coat drives today announced that the first ever Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Coat Drive has raised 175,125 coats. The partnership between One Warm Coat, ABC's "Good Morning America" and Burlington Coat Factory has made great strides in achieving the goal of ensuring anyone who needs a coat has one.

"It is really tremendous what can happen when people combine their strengths to help those in need," commented Sherri Wood, One Warm Coat National Coordinator. "One Warm Coat provided the nonprofit agency relationships for coat distribution and the tools to facilitate the drive on a national scale. Burlington Coat Factory provided the national retail drop off locations and employee manpower for coat collection and Good Morning America provided national media exposure to encourage consumer involvement and raise awareness of the event."

The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Coat drive was launched on December 6, 2007 with Ben Affleck having the honors of donating the first coats with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. Burlington Coat Factory accepted coat donations at its 379 stores in 44 states. One Warm Coat worked with over 185 nonprofit organizations across the country to accept and redistribute the donated coats to those in need free of charge. When the drive was completed on January 31, 2008, donations were well over three times more than anticipated.

"We were overwhelmed by the response from our viewers, Burlington Coat Factory employees and shoppers as well as our Times Square neighbors, coat manufacturers and Disney volunteers, who collected coats at various locations including the ESPN Zone and the World of Disney store in New York City," said Bridgette Maney from "Good Morning America".

"Burlington Coat Factory has a strong heritage of giving back to communities," said Audrey Shapiro with Burlington Coat Factory. "We saw the need for a national coat drive, as 12.6 percent of Americans living in poverty are struggling to feed their families and heat their homes. For them a new warm coat is not a possibility. Working with One Warm Coat and Good Morning America was a great way to help these families."

About One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that assists in the donation of coats. One Warm Coat helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute them free, to people in need. The organization's mission is to ensure that anyone who needs a coat has one. Providing this simple, yet vital, service helps people live productive lives year round. Since inception, more than 750,000 coats have been collected and distributed through One Warm Coat activities. For more information go to www.onewarmcoat.org".

About Good Morning America

ABC News' "Good Morning America" is anchored by Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts. Chris Cuomo is the news anchor and Sam Champion is the weather anchor. The morning news program airs live Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 9:00am/EDT on the ABC Television Network. Jim Murphy is the senior executive producer and Tom Cibrowski is the executive producer of ABC News' "Good Morning America."

About Burlington Coat Factory

Burlington Coat Factory is a nationally recognized retailer of high quality, branded apparel at every day low prices. Burlington Coat Factory opened its first store in Burlington, New Jersey in 1972, selling primarily coats and outerwear. Since then, Burlington Coat Factory has expanded its store base to 379 stores in 44 states, and diversified product categories by offering an extensive selection of in-season, fashion-focused merchandise, including: ladies sportswear, menswear, coats, family footwear, baby furniture and accessories, as well as home décor and gifts. All stores are company-operated, and nearly all are located in high traffic areas such as strip malls and shopping center in various locations.

Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1972 by the Milstein family and purchased by Bain Capital in 2006. Additional information can be found online at www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com.

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