For more than two decades, the Off Your Back winter coat drive has been providing warmth to those who need it most. The drive has collected over 300,000 high-quality, pre-loved coats, which are redistributed without any cost. The Off Your Back Winter Coat Drive was born from a single viral email, and has grown into a movement that embraces school collections, company contributions, and individual volunteers. There are no tedious committee meetings, no sponsor-driven budgets, and no advertising costs.

Over the years, this initiative has received great support and is grateful for the generosity of the community for providing the much-needed warmth to countless helpless Victorians. In 2022, the Off Your Back Coat Drive distributed 20,000 coats to Victorians in need. 2023 has been one of the most successful coat drives by the initiative so far with the support of the community. In 2023, the initiative also collaborated with Big Group Hug to collect coats in sizes ranging from newborn to 16 for children in need.

Drop-off points are closed until June 2024, however, the Elsternwick location – 6 Horne accepts coat donations all year long.

Donating a coat to a person in need this winter in Victoria is a simple process that involves three steps:

1. Collect your second-hand coats and put them in a bag.

2. Download the Collection Bag Label and attach it to the bag.

3. Drop off the bag at the nearest collection point 

That’s it! You have just helped a vulnerable person in Victoria.

If you have any questions, you can check out the FAQs

The impact of Off Your Back on our Victorian community has been extraordinary. Businesses have kindly offered drop-off locations, while Capital Transport has generously taken care of courier collection and redistribution at no charge. There are no committees or sponsored budgets involved in this process. It all started with a viral email that sparked a wave of compassion.