As the chill hits the air, we all begin to bundle up a little tighter and switch out our wardrobes for the next season. But what do you do with the coats, gloves and hats that are no longer used or fit, but still have life in them? Donate of course, but the question becomes where and how. That's where northwest Columbus-based deer, tick and mosquito control company, ohDEER, can help.
2026 marks their second annual coat drive where clients and community members can donate new or gently used coats, sweatshirts, and winter attire (gloves, hats, scarves and mittens) to be distributed around Columbus. Boxes will be placed at a variety of other local businesses - an updated list can be found on ohDEER's social media accounts - and clients of the company can schedule to have donations picked up from their residence.
While 2026 marks a bigger and better collection, with updated locations and donations, it isn't the start to the story.
THE START OF A COMMUNITY EVENT
In 2025, ohDEER was brand new to the Northwest Columbus area, and while tenured franchisees ran an annual coat drive through clients, Jeri Lucco, co-owner of ohDEER, knew relying on her client list wouldn't move the needle. As a new business she thought "if I just [ask] our customers and only X percent of our customers" respond, that's going to be next to no coats collected recalled Lucco, so she set about finding a way to raise awareness past her first-year clients.
Instead of limiting the drive to clients, she built partnerships around the community. Jeri and her daughter, co-owner Sarah Lucco, placed donation boxes at all three FC Bank branches, both Worthington CoHatch locations, Cleverly and Associates, the Powell Area Realtor's Association meeting site and connected with happy hours around the area.
Clients weren't left out, either. "We'd drop off a card that says we're doing a coat drive. This is when we're going to pick them up," explained Jeri, and then they would do collections across residences. The goal was to collect everything before Thanksgiving so coats could be sorted and distributed while the weather still mattered. Donations came in all sizes - from little children to grown adults, leaving the ohDEER team with a little organization and approximately 150 coats. "We went through and sorted them by sizes and genders," Lucco said, "our living room was full."
The coats found their way to families through school counselors in two districts. Lucco worked with a contact at Worthington Schools, who distributed coats across four elementary, middle, and high schools, and with a counselor at Olentangy Schools who redistributed a drop-off to additional buildings. One of the most surprising delivery spots was at a senior living community: "one of the admin [staff members] had a post [stating] that they had residents that needed winter gear", and so I dropped off a big bag of coats recalled Lucco.
The effort didn't go unnoticed. ohDEER's corporate headquarters called the community-first approach "such a great idea," remembers Lucco and the mother-daughter team won a Franchisee Excellence Award presented by the Franchise Business Review.
The award evaluates owners and their franchise through a wholistic approach reviewing operations, brand values, sustainability, growth and community leadership. "Unlike revenue-based recognitions alone, this pest control franchise award reflects a well-rounded evaluation of franchisee performance and alignment. For Jeri and Sarah to earn the Franchisee Excellence Award 2026 in their first season is a testament to their preparation, adaptability, and leadership in a brand-new market" remarked the ohDEER Corporate Team.
Changes for a New Year
This year's drive is starting with expanded drop-off locations and a larger client list. Some members have already started collecting: "Mack Hanna [Vice President at FC Bank] said, I've been collecting coats, you know. ... every time I see a coat, I'm like, put it away and wait for the coat drive" Lucco remarked, smiling.
The drive has also grown to include more than coats. Sweatshirts, hats, scarves, and gloves have all found their way into the mix. "The high school kids, they want more like a sweatshirt or something versus a jacket," Lucco noted.
Distribution is expanding too. Alongside the schools, she's looking at donation sites for people experiencing homelessness downtown, foster children support organizations and senior communities around Columbus.
Why Winter Is No Time to Skip Pest Treatment
While coats are keeping people warm, ohDEER's actual business — all-natural deer, rabbit, tick, and mosquito control — doesn't take the winter off, either. "We do year-round services," Lucco said.
Many may think of pest management as a spring and summer job, but Jeri notes that nature doesn't take a season off. As summer fades, the plants at risk shift. Hostas, hydrangeas, and roses head into dormancy, but that doesn't mean they're safe. "In the winter, hungry deer will actually eat the wood of the rose," she explained. Yew and arborvitae become prime targets, as they are one of the deer's "favorite things to eat during the winter."
And while mosquitoes disappear once temperatures drop consistently, ticks are trickier. "They'll hang around until it hits like 35 degrees, and then they go dormant. ... But in the middle of the winter, if you have a little thaw... they'll come out, and they'll be looking to eat."
A warm spell in January is enough to spark nature's return and that's part of why ohDEER doesn't pause treatments. When it is too cold to do their spray treatment, the team switches to granular solutions that soak into the ground and create a barrier—what she describes as "a perimeter application" that keeps deer, rabbits, or ticks from crossing into treated areas.
Even before spring growth appears, the team can begin work on protecting your home and outdoor space. "We'll spray where the hostas and hydrangeas are going to come up" Lucco said. The team is working to get that scent around where the growth will be coming to create the barrier early.
All of it comes back to scent. ohDEER's treatments are essential-oil based and have different blends depending on the target pest. Deer are repelled by cinnamon, cloves, mint, rosemary, and garlic-based scents; rabbit treatments lean heavily on garlic; tick solutions favor cedarwood and lemongrass. They all "don't like" different smells and tastes explained Lucco. The best part is that all sprays are safe for families and pets. Even though the products include ingredients that help them stick to plants and soak into the ground, they remain all-natural.
For clients, that means no dead season, and when a client spots lurking pests or new blooms poking through, ohDEER wants the call. "We consider it very much a partnership," Lucco said - a partnership for all seasons.