Norwich — The wet, chilly air Friday morning might be giving people a hint that winter is on its way, but 10-year-old Camren Allen zipped up his new winter coat and declared: “I'm ready to jump in the snow!”

Camren, of Taftville, was among dozens of children from throughout the region to receive new winter coats at the Knights of Columbus hall in the organization's second annual coat giveaway. Members of Council 34 had spent the early morning of Black Friday setting up tables with 400 new coats ranging from toddler to teen sizes. The coats were provided by the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council of Connecticut, which was sponsoring six coat giveaways throughout the state today.

The Taftville Knights of Columbus, located at the corning of South B Street and South Second Avenue in Taftville, is the only location east of the Connecticut River and was open until noon.

Trish Gil of Griswold brought her grandchildren, Myley and Abel Wichael, after learning of the coat giveaway from a cousin. The Wichael family lost all their belongings in an apartment fire on Halloween night in Jewett City, and Gil had been spreading the word that 4-year-old Myley needed a winter coat.

She picked out a bright pink coat with white stars and showed it off proudly as she and her 6-year-old brother started to leave the hall. Abel had received two coats in donations the family received since the fire, Gil said.

“The school has been great,” Gil said of Griswold Elementary School. “They helped us a lot, but she didn't have a coat.”

Knights of Columbus volunteers, hearing their story, turned the family around and allowed Myley to pick out a second coat — the rules normally call for a one-per-child limit. The girl raced back to the pile of girls' coats and tried on one with a tan camouflage pattern with pink hearts.

Things are looking up for the family, Gil said. They are preparing to move into a new apartment and have received donations of furniture and household goods from Catholic Charities and other donors.

Mark Higham, grand knight of the Taftville Knights of Columbus, said a steady stream of families came to the coat giveaway during the first two hours, but the group had prepared for a rush akin to last year's inaugural event, when the council ran out of coats long before the noon deadline. The Taftville Knights of Columbus gave away 250 coats last year, so Higham beefed up the order to 400 this year.

The Connecticut Supreme Council started the coat giveaways five years ago, said Dennis Lisee of Waterford, statewide Knights of Columbus program director. The event has proven so popular that it is spreading nationwide.

But locally, Lisee hopes to establish other new sites in eastern Connecticut for next year's drive.

“This is the only one east of the Connecticut River,” he said.

c.bessette@theday.com