Local firefighters kick off 10th annual ‘Coats for Kids’

By Brandi Makuski

STEVENS POINT – Firefighters across Portage Co. are working to ensure children from low-income families in Portage County stay warm this winter.

The Stevens Point Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation has launched its annual fundraising campaign to purchase new coats for local kids, partnering for the 10th consecutive year with the national nonprofit Operation Warm.

This year, over 395 children have requested coats through the program.

“A warm coat is an essential item for children and their families in our community,” SPFD Lt. Matt Zander, director of the Stevens Point Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation, said in an email statement. “We are proud to partner with Operation Warm on this initiative to make an impact on our community—especially this year when more families than ever are in need.”

The foundation has expanded its efforts to include the Amherst School District, collaborating with the Amherst Fire District, Plover Fire Department, and Rudolph Fire Department. Firefighters from these departments will distribute coats to children at Stevens Point area public and parochial elementary schools, as well as in the Amherst School District.

Operation Warm, founded in 1998, has helped more than 5 million children across North America by providing new coats and shoes. With nearly 17% of children in the U.S. living in poverty, Stevens Point firefighters are stepping up to help combat the effects of childhood poverty in the local community.

Donations to support the coat drive are being accepted at Stevens Point Fire Department Station 1, located at 1701 Franklin St. Contributions can also be mailed to Local 484 Charities, Attn: Operation Warm, P.O. Box 484, Stevens Point, Wis. 54481.