The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County Service Unit 38 plan their second One Warm Coat Drive this month and expect to collect thousands of used coats to donate to Sacred Heart Community Service of San Jose.

"If you give, you get," says Brandy Miceli, a member of the Willow Glen Junior Girl Scout Troop 383. "You always get the gift."

Twenty-four troops from the service unit are collecting gently used coats, jackets and sweaters of all sizes at drop-off stations they have set up at various schools through Nov. 30. Troop 383, which includes fifth graders from Willow Glen Elementary School and sixth graders from Willow Glen Middle School, will collect coats and blankets at the Willow Glen tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 from 6 until 8:30 p.m.

The service unit brought in nearly 2,500 coats last year for Sacred Heart.

"Last year we were pretty surprised by the project's success," says Michelle Alaimo, the coat drive coordinator and leader of Junior Girl Scout Troop 555, which includes girls from Campbell.

Alaimo stores some of the coats in her garage before sending them to Sacred Heart, and last year, she says, the troops managed to fill her garage three times.

"It was just an overwhelming response from the community," she says.

Alaimo organized the service unit's first One Warm Coat drive last year after organizing a drive for her troop the year before. One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit organization that helps local groups collect coats for agencies such as Sacred Heart, which then distribute them to people in need.

"I think the girls realize that they're helping people who need it more," Alaimo says. "I know it's hard to close your closets sometimes."

Jessica Amick-Merz, a Campbell resident and fifth-grader at Fammatre, a charter school within the Cambrian School District, and a member of Troop 555, says she doesn't think it would be hard for people to give away an old coat "because they know that other people need them. And if it's no use to them anymore, just give it away."

Jessica adds, "It's good to share your things."

Brianna Vasquez, who is part of Troop 383, says that she wouldn't even mind giving up a coat that had been one of her favorites.

"If you know it's going to a good cause, it's OK. I think of it in a different way," Brianna says.

The scouts hope to collect even more coats than last year, Alaimo says, noting that the service unit has organized nine schoolwide drives this year, while last year there were only about half that many. Just 10 days into this year's efforts, there are already about 400 coats piled up in Alaimo's garage.

"It's really a blessing that the community is so generous," says Debra Sue Stevens, the community relations manager for Sacred Heart.

Stevens says that many people come into Sacred Heart for new winter clothes, especially those with children who have outgrown their warm coats from previous years.

"You'll see them come in, and some of them just have flip flops on and blankets," she says.

She says the help of the scouts and other generous community members has enabled Sacred Heart to set up whole racks of clothing for men, women, children and infants during the holidays. Customers, who register with Sacred Heart, can take one coat for each member of their family and as many clothes as they can carry out in a large bag. Sacred Heart will purchase new underwear and socks when it has the funding.

"When people realize that all of our services are free of charge, that makes people feel good," Stevens says. "They're handing it to a person who actually needs it, even if they're not directly handing it to that person."

Barb Sackles, leader of Troop 383, says the girls make every part of the project fun, from decorating the old refrigerator boxes they use to collect the coats at the tree lighting, to sorting them out afterward.

"Folding them and buttoning them up" is the most fun part, says Troop 383 member Berkeley Cowherd. "We put our gloves on and fold them up and pretend like it's surgery," she says.

Besides being fun for them, Sackles says staffing the collection booth builds the girls' communication skills and confidence.

"It teaches you how to talk to people," Brandy says.

Sackles and Alaimo say that as the girls in their troops get older, their troop activities are focused more on service.

"I think that when you do something good for someone you feel better when you walk off," says Julie Polin, who is a member of Troop 383.

Collection bins are located at the following schools: Bagby, 1840 Harris Ave., San Jose; Willow Glen Elementary, 1425 Lincoln Ave., San Jose; Galarza Elementary and Hammer Montessori, 1610 Bird Ave. Coats will also be collected at the Willow Glen tree lighting on Dec. 1 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A complete list of coat collection locations can be found at www. onewarmcoat.org