Long Island Cares coat drive kicking off

Hauppauge food bank Long Island Cares is partnering with the Burlington Coat Factory and One Warm Coat for the fifth-annual Warm Hearts and Warm Coats Drive.

The drive, which begins on Friday, allows donors to drop off gently used, clean coats at Burlington Coat Factory locations in Garden City, Massapequa, Lawrence, Patchogue and Lake Grove. In return, donors will receive a coupon good for 10 percent off a new coat at the store.

The coats collected on Long Island during the drive will be distributed to local men, women and children in need. The drive ends on Jan. 16, 2012.

Last year, the national drive netted more than 250,000 coats across the country and more than 15,000 coats on Long Island.