The Knights of Columbus will distribute new winter coats to children in need on Black Friday at seven sites in Connecticut, including Norwich and New London.

The organization’s Coats for Kids program will include distributions from 9 a.m. until noon at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 10 Huntington St., New London, and the Knights of Columbus Hall, 47 South Second Ave., Taftville. Coats also will be distributed at sites in Bridgeport, Stamford, New Britain, New Haven and Brooklyn.

The statewide initiative builds on a program that started in Bridgeport during Thanksgiving weekend in 2012. More than 2,880 coats were distributed statewide on last year's Black Friday by the organization.

“While society pushes us to buy things on Black Friday, the Knights of Columbus remembers those who don’t have basic necessities that most of us take for granted,” said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. “Our members are making sure that children have something essential — a coat — to help them stay warm during winter.”