Operation Warm: #morethanacoat

By Jasmine Craig

According to Operation Warm’s website, there are 90,000 kids who need winter coats.

Their mission: “Operation Warm provides warmth, confidence and hope to children in need through the gift of brand-new winter coats.”

They serve millions of children in need across North America, in hopes to help brighten the future of kids everywhere. They create high-quality coats for children in need, offering a child both “physical and emotional warmth”. A new coat gives children more confidence in small things such as playing outside with their peers during recess.

Many families who struggle with poverty, struggle to provide things like proper clothing for their children. A gift of a new coat reassures those families that there are people who care about them.

Donations

Every $20 donation helps make and proved a coat for a child in need. You can donate once or monthly on their website. They have wish list projects and focus on a certain group or place.

One of their most recent projects is The Neighborhood Church in Philadelphia, and they need 60 coats. The Neighborhood Church serves residents of public housing and their focus is to “put the love back into the community,” they strongly focus on changing lives.

“A gift from you would mean out children having coats which are suitable for the brutal winter weather here in Philadelphia. Because majority of our congregation lives at the poverty level, it would mean them literally being without a winter coat of one is not given to them!”

Another project that they have focused on is camp fire relief in California, their goal was to provide 400 coats to children who have been impacted by the California wild fired, and with the tremendous help from people who have donated, 400 children have brand new coats.

On their website they list urgent requests for people who desperately need coats. They list the organization name, number of coats needed, and the location.

give.operationwarm.org

How to get involved

There are numerous ways to get involved with this movement and make a change even if it is a small one.

You can donate which all proceeds go to providing a brand-new coat for children in need across North America. You can give coats to children in your community by starting your own coat program. Fundraising is also a good way to give back, on their website you can choose different options and types on fundraising that interest you the most.

Volunteering is never a bad idea. Operation Warm host events that are funded by donations and various corporations. Their events are help on weekday mornings at local elementary schools for 3 months, October-December.

To become a volunteer, there is a 30-minute online training session to ensure a “not only fun but impactful” volunteer experience.

The Impact

Since 1998 Operation Warm has been provided the less fortunate with the warmth of coats. They have proved nearly 3 million coats to children in need. With 20 years of service, 320,000 coats gifted, and 1,200+ communities served there is no doubt that the motive with this organization is giving back.

For more information:

www.operationwarm.org